Stibnite

specimen number:
2063683

location:
Waiotahi Mine, Waikato, New Zealand

description:

Interesting locality example for the species, a cluster of non-lustrous sharply formed stibnite crystals without matrix. Yellowish alteration of what is likely stibiconite is present. In good condition.

The Waiotahi Mine, located in the historic Thames Goldfield within the Waikato region of New Zealand's Coromandel Peninsula, is situated in a Miocene volcanic belt known for rich epithermal vein deposits. Discovered in the late 1860s during the Coromandel gold rush, the mine became world-famous for its extraordinarily high-grade gold and silver production, particularly from the famed Bonanza seam in the early 1900s. Alongside precious metals, hydrothermal activity in the quartz veins deposited distinct secondary sulfide minerals, including fine bladed to acicular stibnite crystals. These silvery-gray, needle-like antimony sulfide specimens were collected by early miners as notable accessories to the gold ore, and historic Waiotahi Mine stibnite remains a prized piece of New Zealand mining heritage among classic mineral collectors today.

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