Celestine with Calcite, Fluorite

specimen number:
2092219

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

description:
Snow white scalenohedral crystals of calcite to 1.5 cm in size across the top of a crystallized fluorite matrix. Small light blue crystals of Celestine are scattered throughout. In good condition with minimal cleaving present. Nice combination piece.

The Annabel Lee mine, situated in the historic Harris Creek mining sub-district near Goose Creek in Hardin County, Illinois, United States, was one of the final and most technologically advanced underground operations to be developed in the Southern Illinois Fluorspar District. Geologically, this world-class deposit is classified as a classic Mississippi Valley-type (MVT) stratiform bedding-replacement body hosted within Mississippian-age sedimentary rocks, specifically the Downeys Bluff Limestone, where low-temperature hydrothermal fluids migrated along structural faults and selectively replaced the carbonate strata. This mineralization process created spectacular open cavities lined with highly aesthetic, pristine specimens of vibrant purple, yellow, and clear color-zoned fluorite cubes, often associated with exceptional scalenohedral calcite, barite, sphalerite, and chalcopyrite. Historically, the deposit was discovered during systematic deep exploratory drilling by the Ozark-Mahoning Company in the late 1970s, and underground development began with shaft sinking in 1981, officially commencing commercial ore production in 1984. The mine operated with high efficiency, utilizing modern rubber-tired diesel equipment to extract vital acid-grade fluorspar until severe economic pressure from cheaper Chinese imports and declining domestic market prices forced the permanent cessation of all underground mining extraction in early 1995.

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