Smithsonite

specimen number:
2063822

location:
4th level, 79 Mine, Gila Co., Arizona, USA

description:
The top of this matrix is mostly covered with lustrous attractive light grading into dark green botryoidal crystallized smithsonite. This is in terrific condition. The specimen comes with a previous label from the collection of Ray DeMark.

Located in the Dripping Spring Mountains of Gila County, Arizona, the historic 79 Mine operates as a complex replacement and vein deposit formed within faulted Paleozoic limestones and shales. Discovered in the late nineteenth century and mined intermittently for base metals through the mid-twentieth century, the underground workings later became legendary among specialized mineral collectors for their rich oxidized zones. Among the prized secondary minerals recovered from these deep pockets, green smithsonite stands out as a world-class collectible. Often tinted by copper integration, this vibrant apple-green to emerald-green smithsonite forms highly lustrous, three-dimensional botryoidal crusts and crystal clusters that rank among the finest cabinet specimens in American mineralogy.

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