Mottramite

specimen number:
2354202

location:
Whale Mine, Goodsprings, Clark Co., Nevada

description:
Sparkling black micro crystals of mottramite scattered richly across this breccia matrix. In good condition. Neat locality example for the species.

Located in the Goodsprings mining district of Clark County, Nevada, the Whale Mine is a historic zinc and lead deposit hosted within Paleozoic carbonate rocks, primarily Mississippian Monte Cristo Limestone that was extensively fractured and brecciated. Metalliferous ore bodies formed through hydrothermal replacement processes, where lead and zinc sulfides precipitated within faulted marine sedimentary strata and subsequently underwent extensive secondary oxidation near the surface. Prospecting in the district began in the late nineteenth century, and the Whale Mine was actively developed during the early twentieth century, contributing zinc and lead to regional production during World War I. For mineral collectors, the locality became famous for its oxidized zone secondary minerals, particularly bright orange to red wulfenite crystals, hydrozincite, hemimorphite, cerussite, and green smithsonite specimens extracted from underground workings and dump materials.

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