Fluorite with Calcite

specimen number:
8911103

location:
Minerva Mine #1, Hardin Co., Illinois, USA

description:
Classic combination piece from Illinois consisting of a rosy purple attractive gemmy cubic crystal of fluorite measuring 2.0 cm on edge, in an attractive cluster with wheat sheaf style crystals of calcite. This is in great condition and crystallized naturally all around. The specimen comes with two previous labels, one from the Alton collection and one from the collection of Betty Kalaskie.

The Minerva Mine Number 1, located near Cave-in-Rock in Hardin County, Illinois, was a cornerstone of the historic Illinois-Kentucky fluorspar district. Discovered in 1940 and sinking its primary shaft in 1942, the mine operated intermittently until its final closure in 1996. Geologically, the deposit sits within Mississippian-age carbonate host rocks, where fluorine-bearing hydrothermal fluids migrated through regional faults and bedding-plane replacement zones to form rich ore bodies. Mineralogically, the mine achieved world-renowned status among collectors for producing spectacular specimens, most notably exceptionally sharp cubic and multi-colored fluorite crystals often associated with sphalerite, calcite, barite, strontianite, and witherite.

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