Bournonite with Siderite

specimen number:
1052472

location:
Horhausen, Altenkirchen-Flammersfeld, Altenkirchen, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany

description:
Bright lustrous metallic crystals of bournonite measuring to 0.6 cm in size on a siderite crystal matrix. Damage is present as seen. Good reference quality example for this old German classic. The specimen comes with an antique label as shown at the end of the video dating this to the early 1900s.

Horhausen in Germany is part of a historic mining region in the Rhenish Massif that was developed for lead, zinc, and silver from hydrothermal vein deposits hosted in Devonian sedimentary rocks. Mining activity in the area dates back several centuries, with significant development during the 18th and 19th centuries as underground workings followed mineralized veins along fault zones. These veins were formed by mineral rich fluids depositing sulfide minerals and associated gangue minerals such as quartz and calcite. Among the minerals found at Horhausen is bournonite, a lead copper antimony sulfide that typically occurs as metallic gray crystals, sometimes forming well defined prismatic or tabular shapes. Bournonite from this locality formed within the same hydrothermal system as the primary ore minerals and is of interest for its crystal form and association with classic European vein type mineralization.

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