Calcite

specimen number:
8701009

location:
San Mateo Mine, Velardena, Durango, Mexico

description:
Neat spiky colorless crystals of calcite coming off all sides of matrix. Minimal cleaving present. Complete all around. This is said to have been collected in 2008.

The San Mateo Mine, located in the San Juan del Rio district of Durango, Mexico, is a notable silver-lead-zinc deposit situated within the prolific Mesa Central mineral belt. Geologically, the mine consists of hydrothermal vein systems and replacement bodies hosted within Cretaceous sedimentary rocks that were influenced by Tertiary volcanic activity, resulting in a complex assemblage of sulfide and sulfosalt minerals. The locality is recognized for its historical production of silver ore and has produced interesting mineralogical specimens, including fine-grained sulfides and secondary oxidation products. Historically, mining and quarrying activities in the area date back to the colonial era, with significant industrial modernization occurring in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The mine operated intermittently through the mid-1900s, often as a smaller-scale producer compared to the massive silver mines of nearby Guanacevi or Velardena, but it contributed steadily to the regional mineral output. Although large-scale commercial extraction at the specific San Mateo site has slowed in recent decades, the district continues to be explored for its remaining potential and serves as an important site for understanding the silver-rich mineralization of the Sierra Madre Occidental.

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