Calcite with Chalcopyrite, Galena, Dolomite

specimen number:
9892200

location:
Buick Mine, Viburnum Trend, Iron Co., Missouri, USA

description:
Lustrous translucent scalenohedral crystal of calcite set up on a small amount of brecciated matrix with minor chalcopyrite, galena, and dolomite. The crystal exhibits a red phantom crystal, the red color most likely due to iron oxide. Complete all around and in great condition.

The Buick Mine, situated within the world-famous Viburnum Trend in Iron County, Missouri, sits atop the southeastern margin of the Ozark Dome in a premier lead-zinc mining district. Discovered in the mid-20th century during heavy industrial exploration of the Southeast Missouri Lead District, the underground mine extracts rich ore bodies hosted within the Cambrian-age Bonneterre Formation dolomite. Ore mineralization occurred when ancient, metal-bearing hydrothermal fluids migrated through porous sedimentary rock and brecciated reef structures, depositing massive galena, chalcopyrite, sphalerite, and associated sulfide minerals alongside beautiful quartz and calcite crystals. Beyond its major economic production of industrial metals, the Buick Mine became celebrated among mineral collectors worldwide for producing spectacular mineral specimens, particularly lustrous galena crystals, irridescent chalcopyrite, and distinctive calcite formations before large-scale operations in the area shifted ownership and modified production focus over time.

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