Calcite

specimen number:
2102367

location:
Elmwood Mine, Smith Co., Tennessee, USA

description:

A gorgeous grouping of glassy gem deep amber colored scalenohedral calcite crystals with little barite attached. Slight damage present, this still in good condition.

The Elmwood mine, situated near Carthage in Smith County, Tennessee, is a world-renowned underground mining operation located within the historic Central Tennessee Zinc District. Geologically, the deposit is a classic Mississippi Valley-type zinc system localized within the Lower Ordovician Mascot Dolomite of the Knox Group, where mineralizing fluids dissolved and replaced paleokarst collapse breccias and solution cavities. The primary ore mineral is low-iron sphalerite, which precipitated alongside an exceptional suite of secondary minerals including spectacular, gemmy cognac-colored calcite, white to cream-colored barite, fluorite, and galena within large, open vugs. Historically, the deep deposit was discovered via exploratory drilling in 1969, and industrial shaft-sinking commenced shortly thereafter under the New Jersey Zinc Company, with formal commercial production beginning in 1975. The mine operated intermittently under various corporate owners, including Savage Zinc and Pasminco, experiencing temporary closures due to fluctuating global zinc markets before being acquired by Nyrstar, which reopened the facility in 2010. Underground mechanized room-and-pillar extraction continues to actively produce zinc concentrates through 2026, and the site remains a globally significant geological benchmark for studying carbonate-hosted sulfide mineralization as well as a premier source for world-class collector mineral specimens.

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