Metaswitzerite

specimen number:
2354090

location:
Foote Mine, Kings Mtn., North Carolina, USA

description:
Several areas across the top of this quartz and albite crystal matrix are scattered with prismatic bronze sparkling crystals of metaswitzerite measuring to 0.35 cm in size. In good condition. The specimen comes with four previous labels, these coming from the collection of Scott Williams, Kay Robertson, Al Kidwell, and Eric Laskowski.

Situated in Cleveland County, North Carolina, the Foote Mine at Kings Mountain penetrates a massive lithium-bearing pegmatite system within the Carolina Tin-Spodumene Belt. Operations began mid-century under the Foote Mineral Company, producing industrial lithium from rich spodumene dikes interlayered with local schist and amphibolite host rocks. Late-stage alteration of primary minerals inside pegmatite fractures and hydrothermal pockets yielded a remarkable array of complex secondary hydrated phosphate minerals. Among these rare mineral species is metaswitzerite, a hydrous manganese iron phosphate that forms pale pink to golden-brown tabular crystals as a dehydration product of switzerite. The locality became world-famous among mineralogists and amateur field collectors, who gathered exceptionally diverse micro-mineral specimens from the mine dumps until commercial extraction ceased in the early 1990s and access was strictly restricted.

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