Barite

specimen number:
2312152

location:
Barnett Mine, Pope Co., Illinois, USA

description:
An unusual stalactitic crystal grouping of barite. These are quite rare in this one is in very good condition. Previously this was in the collection of Ross Lillie and comes with his label and details. Complete all around. From the early 1970s.

The Barnett Mine, located in Pope County near Rosiclare within the Illinois-Kentucky Fluorspar District, is part of a major Mississippi Valley-Type mineralized region. Geologically, the area features Paleozoic sedimentary rocks, primarily faulted limestones and shales associated with the regional fluorspar structures and Hicks Dome. Mineralization formed as warm, metal-bearing hydrothermal fluids migrated through tectonic fractures and fault zones, depositing fluorite, galena, sphalerite, and associated gangue minerals like calcite and barite. Historically, commercial operations in the district expanded significantly during the twentieth century to supply critical industrial flux. The Barnett Mine itself is remembered both for its mid-to-late twentieth century production and as the site of a tragic underground accident in April 1971 that claimed the lives of seven miners.

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