Metastibnite

specimen number:
2063525

location:
Steamboat Springs, Washoe Co., Nevada, USA

description:
Fairly rich red masses of metastibnite throughout a white sinter matrix. Good example for the species. The specimen comes with a previous label from the collection of Ray DeMark.

Steamboat Springs, located in Washoe County, Nevada, is an active geothermal system consisting of hot springs, steam vents, and siliceous sinter deposits formed by volcanic activity and deep structural faulting in the Great Basin region. Mining activity in the district dates back to the late nineteenth century, driven initially by searches for quicksilver and gold, while geologists later studied the geothermal fields to understand modern hydrothermal mineral deposition. Steamboat Springs serves as the type locality for metastibnite, a rare, bright red to reddish-brown amorphous form of antimony sulfide. The mineral deposits directly from hot spring vapors and thermal waters, forming delicate crusts, coatings, and splotches within the local silica sinter, making the site historical and renowned among mineral collectors.

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