Galena with Dolomite, Chalcopyrite

specimen number:
2063808

location:
Viburnum Trend, Missouri, USA

description:
Two very bright lustrous cubic crystal groupings of galena measuring to 1.5 cm on edge set aesthetically up on a matrix covered on top by white pearly small crystals of dolomite with minimal chalcopyrite. This is in good condition. If I had to guess, this is either from the Sweetwater mine or the Fletcher mine. The specimen comes with a previous label from the collection of Ray DeMark.

The Viburnum Trend, situated in southeast Missouri, represents the premier lead-zinc-copper mining district in the world and accounts for a massive portion of domestic lead production. Formed during the late Cambrian period, hydrothermal brines migrated through porous Bonneterre Dolomite reef complexes, precipitating massive Mississippi Valley-type sulfide ore bodies along the flanks of the St. Francois Mountains. Commercial underground mining began in the 1960s and grew into an advanced network of deep subsurface operations extracting galena, sphalerite, and chalcopyrite.

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