Calcite

specimen number:
2292322

location:
Vieja Mine, Santa Eulalia, Chihuahua, Mexico

description:
An attractive large cluster of crystallized calcite. In good condition. Complete all around.

The Vieja Mine, located in the historic Santa Eulalia Mining District of Chihuahua, Mexico, is one of the oldest and most historically significant mines in the region, dating back to the initial Spanish discoveries around 1700. Geologically, the mine is situated within a massive sequence of Cretaceous limestones that were intruded and fractured by Tertiary igneous activity. This geological setting hosted extensive, high-grade carbonate replacement deposits, where hydrothermal fluids migrated through fault zones to deposit rich silver, lead, and zinc minerals. These ore bodies formed both vertical pipe-like chimney structures and horizontal bedded manto structures within the sedimentary rock. Early Spanish miners exploited these accessible, near-surface carbonate ores using rudimentary methods, and the mine subsequently transitioned to modern, large-scale industrial operations during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries as part of the district's extensive West Camp.

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