Calcite (O-0053)

specimen number:
9273124

location:
Jose Maria Patoni, San Juan del Rio, Durango, Mexico

description:

Neat locality example with mostly gemmy lustrous crystals of calcite to 1.2 cm and had covering the top of matrix. In good condition.

The Jose Maria Patoni locality, situated within the San Juan del Rio Municipality in the central part of the state of Durango, Mexico, is an extraction zone predominantly famous among collectors for producing calcite crystal groupings rather than major industrial base metals. Geologically, the area sits along the eastern edge of the Sierra Madre Occidental volcanic province, where low-to-intermediate temperature hydrothermal fluids deposited calcium carbonate within localized faults, breccias, and solution cavities inside Tertiary-aged volcanic sequences and underlying Mesozoic sedimentary rock layers. The resulting mineral specimens are widely recognized for displaying a remarkable variety of crystal habits, most notably colorless, gemmy prismatic hexagons, complex tabular butterfly twins, and contact twins that exhibit a highly signature, silky or pearly surface luster. Small-scale quarrying, exploratory digging, and pocket extraction at localized operations within this sector - historically connected to or noted alongside specific workings like the La Fe mine (later known as the Amparo mine) - gained significant international prominence among specimen miners and mineralogists following major crystal pocket discoveries during the late 20th century and early 2000s, with manual and artisanal specimen recovery persisting sporadically into the 2010s and 2020s.

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