Magnetite

specimen number:
2063537

location:
2500' level, Empire State No. 4 Mine, Balmat, Fowler, St. Lawrence Co., New York, USA

description:
A superb miniature from this important find for the species. Very sharp lustrous metallic black cubic crystals of magnetite measuring to 1.0 cm in size attractively covering the top of matrix. In excellent condition. This crystal habit for the species is not common. Collected in the early 1990s. The specimen comes with numerous previous labels including one from the collection of Ray DeMark.

The Empire State No. 4 Mine (historically operating as the ZCA No. 4 Mine) in Balmat, Fowler, St. Lawrence County, New York, is an underground zinc operation targeting highly metamorphosed Grenville-age marble and calc-silicate units. Deep within the deposit on the 2500-foot level, localized metasomatic fluid-rock interactions within evaporite-bearing strata yielded a remarkable, short-lived mineralogical discovery in 1992. Miners and collectors recovered exceptionally sharp, jet-black, highly lustrous crystals of iron oxide displaying an extremely rare cubic crystal habit rather than the typical octahedral form. These unique cubes, often reaching over two centimeters on edge and set against white matrix minerals like anhydrite, halite, and sphalerite, immediately captured worldwide attention. Because access to this specific deep pocket was brief and active industrial mining restrictions prohibit public collecting, these early 1990s cubic specimens remain among the most famous and coveted iron oxide classics from northeastern USA.

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