Calcite with Barite

specimen number:
2013462

location:
Cary Mine, Iron Co., Wisconsin, USA

description:
A neat combination specimen for this old and well-known locality. Colorless to light pink balls of crystallized calcite measuring to 1.7 cm in diameter are perched nicely up on pinkish bladed crystals of barite. This is in very good condition. A previous label from the collection of Louis Lafayette comes with the specimen as shown at the end of the video. A very choice miniature.

The Cary Mine, located in Iron County, Wisconsin, was part of the Gogebic Iron Range, a major iron producing region that was actively mined from the late 19th century through the mid 20th century. The deposit consists of banded iron formation hosted in Precambrian rocks, where iron rich layers were worked through underground mining methods. While the primary focus was iron ore production, the mine is also known among collectors for mineral specimens found in cavities and fractures within the host rock. Calcite and barite from the Cary Mine typically occur as crystalline coatings and aggregates, sometimes forming well developed crystals in open spaces created during mineralization and later alteration. These minerals formed from hydrothermal or circulating fluids interacting with the iron rich host rock, and specimens are valued for their association with this historic iron mining district. The mine closed in 1964.

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