Calcite with Galena

specimen number:
2102307

location:
Sweetwater Mine, Reynolds Co., Missouri, USA

description:
Nice combination specimen with prismatic double terminated crystals of calcite to 4.6 cm in length on a cluster of crystallized galena. The prominent calcite crystal exhibits an interesting phantom crystal. The prominent crystal is in good condition, as well as the galena crystals are in good condition. There are numerous smaller calcite crystals present throughout the matrix that are cleaved.

The Sweetwater Mine, located in the Viburnum Trend of Reynolds County, Missouri, is a major lead-zinc-copper operation within the world-class Mississippi Valley-Type (MVT) mineral district. Geologically, the ore bodies are hosted in the Cambrian-age Bonneterre Dolomite, where mineral-rich fluids replaced the carbonate rock along an ancient buried reef system during the Ouachita Orogeny. The mine is famous among mineralogists for producing exceptional specimens of galena, chalcopyrite, and particularly translucent golden-yellow to honey-colored calcite crystals that often occur as large, multifaceted scalenohedrons. Historically, the site was developed for industrial mining and quarrying after the discovery of the Viburnum Trend in the 1950s. The Sweetwater Mine, originally known as the Milliken Mine, began production in 1974 under the Ozark Lead Company, a subsidiary of Kennecott. It was later acquired by ASARCO and then by Doe Run Company in 1998, which continues to operate the site as of 2026. For over fifty years, the mine has been a consistent producer of heavy metals and high-quality mineral specimens, representing a critical component of Missouri's enduring mining heritage.

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