Calcite

specimen number:
8171275

location:
Tonglushan Mine, Daye Co., Huangshi, Hubei, China

description:
Lustrous gemmy colorless to red crystals of calcite measuring to 4.5 cm in size very nice on matrix. In excellent condition.

The Tonglushan Mine, located near Daye in Hubei Province, China, has an extraordinary history of metal extraction spanning more than two millennia, with archaeological evidence showing intensive underground mining and smelting operations dating from the Shang Dynasty through the Western Han Dynasty, and continuing into modern industrial production. Geologically, the deposit is a classic skarn-type copper and iron system formed through the intrusion of intermediate-acid magmatic rocks into carbonate strata, creating rich ore bodies. Mineralogically, the deposit is heavily characterized by abundant copper ores and secondary minerals, most notably rich concentrations of malachite, azurite, and magnetite, which served as a vital raw material source for China's ancient bronze civilization and remains an important modern mining area today.

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