Berthierite with Calcite

specimen number:
2312326

location:
Herja mine, Maramures Co., Romania

description:
This is a superb example for the species, a cluster of tight compact radiating acicular somewhat iridescent metallic crystals of berthierite are hosting colorless crystals of calcite. In very good condition. This is the classic locality for the species.

The Herja mine, historically known as Kisbanya, is located in the Maramures County of northern Romania, within the rich Baia Mare metallogenic district. Mining operations in the area date back centuries, with the Herja site itself becoming world-famous for extensive commercial and specimen extraction of base metals. Geologically, the deposit is situated within a complex region shaped by Neogene volcanic activity, featuring hydrothermal vein systems that cut through older sedimentary and volcanic rock formations. Mineralogically, the mine is celebrated globally as a type locality and premier source for a vast array of sulfide and sulfosalt minerals, notably including exceptional specimens of stibnite, berthierite, and various lead-antimony sulfosalts embedded in distinctive gangue carbonates.

Berthierite is an uncommon iron antimony sulfide mineral with a dark steel-gray to grayish-black metallic appearance, often forming fibrous or prismatic aggregates resembling stibnite. Geologically, it is typically found in hydrothermal vein deposits formed at low to moderate temperatures, commonly occurring alongside other antimony and lead minerals. Historically, the mineral was named in honor of the French chemist Pierre Berthier, who first analyzed it, and it occasionally serves as a minor ore for the extraction of antimony.

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