Cassiterite with Hematite

specimen number:
2063005

location:
Adobe Ranch, Catron Co., New Mexico, USA

description:
Neat locality example, this a botryoidal or nodular grouping of crystallized cassiterite, coated with the dark reddish-brown hematite. A floater with no points of attachment, in very good condition all around. The specimen comes with a previous label from the collection of Ray DeMark and was collected on October 17, 2010.

The geology of the region features mid-Tertiary volcanic sequences dominated by extensive rhyolite flows and breccias that underwent significant hydrothermal alteration. Historical mining and prospecting activity in this remote part of New Mexico focused on minor metal occurrences associated with these volcanic formations. Prospectors and mineral collectors discovered small quantities of cassiterite, often occurring as wood tin or fine stringers alongside iron oxides within fractures and altered zones of the host rock, though commercial production remained very limited.

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