Laurelite with Galena, Fluorite, Quartz

specimen number:
2063590

location:
Grand Reef Mine, Graham Co., Arizona, USA

description:
Very tiny sparse white acicular crystals of the rare mineral laurelite on matrix with galena, fluorite, and quartz. The specimen comes with a previous label from the collection of Ray DeMark.

Located in the Laurel Canyon area of the Aravaipa Mining District in Graham County, Arizona, the Grand Reef Mine is a celebrated lead, zinc, and silver deposit formed within a fault-controlled quartz-barite vein system that intersects Precambrian granite and Tertiary volcanic rocks. Originally prospected in the late nineteenth century and mined intermittently for base and precious metals through the mid-twentieth century, the site experienced deep supergene oxidation that interacted with fluorine-bearing fluids in the upper zones of the ore body. This complex halide-rich oxidation zone created a premier micro-mineral locality that yielded rare secondary lead halide species, including laurelite, which was first discovered here as tiny, colorless to white, elongated hexagonal prisms in small cavities within quartz matrix. Though active commercial mining has long ceased and access to the rugged, remote site remains hazardous, specimens recovered by dedicated mineral collectors have made the Grand Reef Mine famous worldwide as a classic locality for exotic lead-bearing halide minerals.

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