Calcite

specimen number:
2013499

location:
Sweetwater Mine, Viburnum Trend, Reynolds Co., Missouri, USA

description:
Yellow semi lustrous double terminated translucent crystals of calcite measuring to 6.7 cm in length perched perfectly up on a breccia matrix. In very good condition. Collected in the late 1980s. Minor dolomite is present as well.

The Sweetwater Mine, situated in Reynolds County, Missouri, is a major component of the world-famous Viburnum Trend, also known as the New Lead Belt. Development of the mine began in the mid-1960s, and it officially commenced production in 1970. Geologically, the mine targets massive Mississippi Valley-Type (MVT) lead-zinc deposits hosted within the Cambrian-aged Bonneterre Formation. These ore bodies formed as mineral-rich brines migrated through the porous Dolostone and settled against the Precambrian basement rocks of the St. Francois Mountains. While primarily an industrial source of galena (lead) and sphalerite (zinc), the Sweetwater Mine is legendary among mineral collectors for producing world-class specimens. It is particularly famous for its aesthetic, golden-colored calcite crystals, often found on a matrix of dolostone or associated with metallic sulfides like chalcopyrite and marcasite. Now operated by the Doe Run Company, the mine remains a critical producer of base metals and continues to be a site of great interest for both its economic output and its unique mineralogical diversity.

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