Galena with Sphalerite, Quartz

specimen number:
2062904

location:
Elmwood complex, Smith Co., Tennessee, USA

description:
Very choice example for the species from this famous locality, a cluster of sharply formed cubic semi lustrous crystals of galena measuring 2.3 x 2.3 x 2.0 cm in size is that aesthetically up on a breccia matrix that is completely covered with crystallized colorless quartz. Smaller crystals of lustrous black sphalerite are scattered richly throughout. This is in good condition with only minimal micro-damage to some of the sphalerite crystals. The galena crystal grouping shows nicely all around. The specimen comes with a previous label from the collection of Ray DeMark and dates to the 1980s.

The Elmwood complex, comprising primarily of the Elmwood, Gordonsville, and Cumberland Mines, in Smith County, Tennessee, is situated within Paleozoic carbonate rock formations where mineralizing hydrothermal brines circulated through ancient, open solution cavities, faults, and breccia zones. Originally developed for industrial underground mining starting in the 1970s, the facility gained global renown among mineral collectors because miners recovered world-class crystal specimens from vugs and cavities intersected during operations. While the complex has experienced intermittent commercial closures and changes in corporate ownership over the decades, it remains a legendary locality celebrated for producing some of the finest aesthetic mineral crystals ever discovered.

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