Calcite

specimen number:
8311264

location:
Leiping Mine, Hunan, China

description:
Lustrous mostly gemmy twinned crystals of calcite in a cluster without matrix. This is in really good condition. From the late 1990s.

The Leiping Mine, situated in Guiyang County of Hunan Province, China, is a significant lead-zinc-silver deposit located within the prolific Nanling Mineral Belt. Geologically, it is characterized by hydrothermal mineralization and skarn formation where Mesozoic granitic intrusions contacted Upper Paleozoic carbonate rocks. This environment provided the ideal conditions for the development of exceptional mineral crystals, most notably the world-class twinned calcite specimens for which the locality is famous. These calcites often occur as large, sharp, heart-shaped (butterfly) twins or complex flattened rhombohedra with superb luster and transparency. Historically, while the region has a long history of mining, modern industrial development at Leiping intensified during the mid-20th century, with the mine serving as a major producer of base metals throughout the 1960s and 1970s. Since the late 1990s, the mine has gained significant international acclaim in the mineralogical community as a premier source for these distinct and highly aesthetic calcite twins.

Questions about this specimen?
Send an email or call us: 314-341-1811.