Brucite

specimen number:
2102393

location:
Sierra Magnesite Mine, Gabbs, Nye Co., Nevada, USA

description:
Good example for the species from this locality, bluish green botryoidal crystallized brucite across the top of a magnesite rich matrix. Some contacting present as seen, this still very good.

The Sierra Magnesite mine, situated in the Paradise Range just east of Gabbs in Nye County, Nevada, is a historic open-pit and underground operation renowned as one of the largest and most productive sources of industrial magnesite in North America. Geologically, the massive deposit is hosted within the Upper Triassic Luning Formation, where thick beds of marine dolomite were subjected to extensive hydrothermal alteration and metasomatism associated with nearby Mesozoic granitic intrusions. This intense chemical replacement transformed the original dolostone into vast, high-purity bodies of crystalline magnesite, often intergrown with brucite, talc, and localized silicate minerals. Formal mining operations began in earnest in 1941 when Basic Magnesium, Incorporated, developed the property to supply critical magnesium metal for military aircraft production during World War II, establishing the company town of Gabbs to support the workforce. Following the war, the focus shifted from pure metal extraction to the processing of refractory materials for steel manufacturing under the ownership of Basic Refractories, later known as Basic Incorporated. Industrial extraction and kiln-firing of the magnesite continued successfully through the late 20th century, and the operation remains active under Premier Magnesia, making it a remarkably long-lived producer of industrial minerals in the state of Nevada.

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