Fluorite with Quartz

specimen number:
9273044

location:
Xiefang Mine, Jiangxi, China

description:

Beautiful rosy purple translucent crystals of fluorite, the main crystal grouping 2.5 cm in size, on a matrix of sparkling snow white quartz. In super condition. The color contrast on this is wonderful.

The Xiefang mine, situated within Ruijin County of the Ganzhou Prefecture in Jiangxi Province, China, is a well-known underground mining operation highly valued by collectors for producing distinctive specimens of fluorite and barite. Geologically, this major deposit is classified as a volcanic-hydrothermal veined fluorite system localized within the Cathaysia Orogenic Belt, featuring a structural vein network extending nearly 10 kilometers. Mineralization occurred when low-temperature, deep-seated hydrothermal fluids migrated through regional fault zones in continental volcanic sequences during Mesozoic tectonic activity, depositing massive and open-space crystallized calcium fluoride alongside secondary barium sulfate, quartz, and pyrite. Historically, formal geological assessment and development of the deposit advanced significantly in the mid-to-late twentieth century, with state-supported exploration and systematic industrial extraction of industrial-grade fluorspar flux accelerating through the 1980s and 1990s. Through 2026, while primary commercial extraction fluctuates based on regional environmental regulations and domestic industrial demand, the locality continues to yield highly characteristic specimens showing complex phantoms, providing mineralogists with important data regarding low-temperature hydrothermal fluid pathways in southern China.

Questions about this specimen?
Send an email or call us: 314-341-1811.