Barite

specimen number:
2102382

location:
Meikle Mine, Elko Co., Nevada, USA

description:
Glassy partly gemmy amber colored tabular crystals of barite coming off matrix. Minor calcite is present. In good condition with minimal cleaving present.

The Meikle mine, located on the prolific Carlin Trend in Elko County, Nevada, was a world-class underground gold operation renowned for its exceptionally high ore grades and the discovery of spectacular, large collector specimens of lustrous, gemmy, amber barite crystals. Geologically, the deposit is a premier example of a Carlin-type sediment-hosted gold system, characterized by sub-microscopic gold disseminated within Paleozoic carbonate rocks, specifically the Devonian-age Popovich Formation. The high-grade ore bodies developed where acidic hydrothermal fluids created extensive collapse breccias and dissolution cavities along major structural faults, depositing gold alongside pyrite, marcasite, and secondary minerals inside large, open cave systems. Historically, the deposit was discovered deep beneath post-mineral volcanic cover in September 1989 by Barrick Gold Corporation through targeted exploratory drilling of a geophysical anomaly. Underground mine development began in earnest with shaft sinking in 1992, and full-scale commercial ore extraction commenced in 1996 utilizing an innovative, highly mechanized blast-hole stoping method combined with backfilling. Because of extreme underground rock temperatures that reached up to 140 degrees Fahrenheit, operators installed massive commercial refrigeration and ventilation plants to make the deep workings safe for miners. Commercial underground mining and processing of stockpiled ores at the main Meikle complex operated continuously for over two decades until declining deep reserves led to its eventual structural integration into adjacent multi-mine complexes managed by Nevada Gold Mines, which continues localized auxiliary operations and regional exploration through 2026.

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