Sphalerite with Dolomite

specimen number:
2062607

location:
Elmwood Mine, Smith Co., Tennessee, USA

description:
A lustrous grouping of sphalerite crystals measuring 4.0 x 4.0 cm in size set perfectly up on a breccia matrix with sparkling crystals of dolomite. In excellent condition. The specimen comes with a previous label from the collection of Ray DeMark and was collected sometime in the middle 1990s.

Located near Carthage in Smith County, Tennessee, the Elmwood Mine was discovered in the late 1960s and began full commercial zinc production in 1975. Geologically, it is a classic Mississippi Valley-type deposit hosted within ancient Ordovician carbonate rocks, where slow-moving, low-temperature mineralizing brines filled open cavities, dissolution voids, and collapse breccias. While operated primarily as an industrial underground zinc source through changing corporate ownership over the decades, the mine achieved global renown among mineral collectors for yielding world-class, exceptionally large crystals.

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