Mercury with Cinnabar

specimen number:
2063052

location:
Sonoma Co., California, USA

description:
Numerous brilliant metallic rounded blebs of native mercury averaging 0.2 cm in size scattered across one side of matrix with very minimal cinnabar. Classic for this area. The specimen comes with a previous label from the collection of Ray DeMark.

The mercury mines of Sonoma County, California, primarily situated within the Mayacamas district, are geologically hosted in Franciscan formation rocks where hydrothermal fluids altered serpentinite into silica-carbonate formations rich in cinnabar. Commercial mining began around the 1870s at prominent sites like the Mount Jackson and Great Eastern mines, producing quicksilver that supported regional gold extraction until operations wound down in the 1970s. Today, these historical sites are recognized for their legacy, and while mineral collecting is restricted due to environmental and safety hazards, the old districts remain significant chapters in California mining history.

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