Calcite with Marcasite

specimen number:
2292442

location:
Brushy Creek Mine, Viburnum Trend, Reynolds Co., Missouri, USA

description:
A beautiful large crystallized plate of lustrous scalenohedral calcite crystals, some of these accented nicely with iridescent marcasite. The largest crystals measure to 6.5 cm in size. Very minimal cleaving present, this is in good condition. This is an old one from the late 1970s.

The Brushy Creek Mine, located in Reynolds County, Missouri, is situated within the Viburnum Trend, a significant Mississippi Valley-Type (MVT) lead-zinc ore district. The geology is defined by the Bonneterre Formation, a Cambrian-age dolostone layer that hosts the primary ore bodies. Mineralization occurred when hydrothermal fluids moved through porous sedimentary rock and precipitated ore minerals into available fractures and brecciated zones. Development of the mine began in the early 1970s as part of the expansion of mining operations in the region to extract lead and zinc. The mine is historically noted among mineral collectors for producing specimens including calcite, marcasite, chalcopyrite, dolomite, galena, and sphalerite, all of which were extracted from the underground workings during the late twentieth century.

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