Surite

specimen number:
2354144

location:
Mammoth-St. Anthony Mine, Tiger, Arizona, USA

description:
Good rich example for this rare mineral, colorless pearly crystal groupings to 0.1 cm in size fairly rich across this matrix. The specimen comes with a previous label from the collection of Eric Laskowski.

Situated in Pinal County, Arizona, the Mammoth-St. Anthony Mine at Tiger exploited a complex vein system cutting Precambrian granite and Tertiary rhyolite fault zones. Beginning in the late 1870s, the property operated primarily as a producer of gold, molybdenum, vanadium, lead, and zinc, undergoing several major mining eras until its ultimate closure in 1953. Deep and repeated oxidation of the primary metal sulfide deposits gave rise to an extraordinary array of secondary minerals in open cavities and fractures, making Tiger world-famous among micromount collectors and mineralogists for its high diversity of rare species. Among these secondary species is surite, a rare hydrated lead aluminum silicate carbonate mineral that forms delicate, white to light green, lath-shaped or pearly platy crystals nestled alongside other oxidation-zone minerals.

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