Calcite

specimen number:
2312007

location:
Dal'negorsk, Primorskiy Kray, Russia

description:
Lustrous translucent crystals of calcite, these exhibiting truncated rhombohedron terminations, to 5.0 cm in height on matrix. Fluorescent under longwave ultraviolet light. In very good condition all around.

The Dalnegorsk mining district, located in the Primorsky Krai region of the Russian Far East, is defined by complex skarn and boron-rich hydrothermal deposits hosted within Triassic limestone sequences. Formed through the intrusion of Late Cretaceous granodiorites and granites into carbonate and sedimentary rocks, the local geology experienced extensive metasomatic activity that replaced limestone with calc-silicate skarns and created large open cavities. Commercial mining in the area began in the late nineteenth century, initially focusing on polymetallic sulfide ores containing lead and zinc, alongside later large-scale extraction of borosilicate ores like datolite. The district has long been recognized for producing exceptional crystal specimens, including excellent calcite, ilvaite, pyrrhotite, galena, sphalerite, and danburite, recovered from the extensive underground workings and open pits.

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