Calcite with Fluorite

specimen number:
2072045

location:
Annabel Lee Mine, Hardin Co., Illinois, USA

description:
Colorless lustrous spiky crystals of calcite covering all sides of this brecciated matrix with fluorite. Typical of these some cleaving present, this one in good condition.

The Annabel Lee Mine, located in Hardin County, Illinois, was part of the Illinois Kentucky Fluorspar District and represents one of the final stages of mining activity in the region. The mine operated from 1984 until 1995, during a period when smaller underground operations continued to extract fluorite from hydrothermal vein deposits hosted in limestone. These deposits formed as fluorine rich fluids moved through fractures and fault zones, depositing fluorite along with associated minerals such as calcite, galena, and sphalerite. Mining was carried out through underground workings that followed these mineralized veins at depth. Although relatively short lived, the Annabel Lee Mine is significant as one of the last producing mines in the district and reflects the closing chapter of fluorspar mining in southern Illinois.

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