Cerussite

specimen number:
2133328

location:
Flux Mine, Santa Cruz Co., Arizona, USA

description:

A loose cluster of white jackstraw cerussite crystals from this famous Arizona locality. In good condition. The specimen comes with a previous label from the collection of T.M. Phetteplace.

The Flux mine, situated in the Patagonia Mining District within the Patagonia Mountains of Santa Cruz County, Arizona, is a historic underground mine primarily recognized for its substantial past production of lead, silver, and zinc. Geologically, the deposit is a carbonate replacement and vein system hosted within intensely faulted and sheared Paleozoic limestones and Mesozoic volcanic rocks. Hydrothermal solutions associated with nearby Laramide-aged granitic intrusions replaced the favorable limestone strata with rich sulfide ore bodies containing galena, sphalerite, chalcopyrite, and cerussite, alongside a diverse suite of secondary lead and zinc minerals in the upper oxidized zone. The historical timeline began with its discovery in the late 1850s, with early, intermittent exploitation by pioneer miners and the military before the outbreak of the American Civil War. Structured commercial development expanded significantly under companies like the Hardshell Mining Company and later the Patagonia Silver-Lead Mining Company around the late 1890s and early 1900s. The mine saw its most intense periods of production during the world wars, particularly from 1941 to 1950 when it was operated extensively by the American Smelting and Refining Company (ASARCO). Production slowed down after this boom, and all formal, commercial ore extraction permanently ceased around 1963.

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