Artinite

specimen number:
2102178

location:
Clear Creek, San Benito Co., California, USA

description:
Classic California locality for the species, the specimen has acicular colorless sparkling crystals of artinite rich across the front of matrix. In good condition.

The Clear Creek artinite locality, situated within the New Idria District of San Benito County, California, is a premier site for rare magnesium carbonate minerals. Geologically, it is located within the New Idria Serpentinite Massif, a massive diapiric body of hydrated ultramafic rock. The artinite forms as a secondary mineral through the low-temperature hydrothermal alteration of serpentinite, typically appearing as delicate, snow-white radiating acicular sprays or globular tufts within fractures and veins. Historically, the area became famous among mineral collectors in the mid-20th century, particularly during the 1950s and 1960s, as access roads for nearby mercury and asbestos mines exposed fresh mineralized surfaces. While never an industrial target itself, the locality gained international recognition for producing some of the world's finest specimens of artinite, often associated with other rare species like hydromagnesite and coalingite. Today, the site is managed by the Bureau of Land Management and remains a significant destination for geological study and mineralogical preservation within the California Coast Ranges.

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