Wulfenite (WUL-0013)

specimen number:
9273171

location:
Erupcion Mine, Los Lamentos, Chihuahua, Mexico

description:

Lustrous mostly gemmy thin platy crystals of wulfenite in a delicate cluster with brecciated matrix. This is a good condition all around.

The Erupcion mine, located in the Los Lamentos district of Chihuahua, Mexico, was a notable underground lead, zinc, and silver operation. Geologically, the deposit consists of a classic, gently inclined manto-type body hosted within Cretaceous limestone sequences. Intense oxidation of primary galena and sphalerite by descending groundwaters created a rich secondary assembly dominated by massive cerussite and thick, blocky crystals of wulfenite, typically deposited on a white dolomite matrix. Discovered in 1907, commercial mining began around 1916 and expanded into the deep, interconnected Ahumada workings. Primary industrial-scale extraction continued until 1931, when unmanageable water inflows forced the closure of the main corporate operations. Following the end of major industrial activity, the site was worked intermittently on an artisanal basis, with notable periods of specimen recovery in the 1960s and 1970s during structural drawdowns of the local water table.

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