Conichalcite
specimen number:
2102417
location:
Bristol Mine, Lincoln Co., Nevada, USA
description: The Bristol mine, located in the Bristol-Jackrabbit district of Lincoln County northwest of Pioche, Nevada, is a historic underground mining operation that produced substantial amounts of silver, lead, zinc, and copper. Geologically, the deposit is situated within a thick sequence of highly faulted Paleozoic sedimentary rocks, primarily Middle to Upper Cambrian-aged limestones and dolomitic limestones underlain by lower Cambrian quartzite. Ore mineralization occurred where regional tectonic stresses created intersecting fault systems, allowing hydrothermal fluids to ascend and form irregular replacement bodies, fissure veins, and oxidized ore pockets containing high-grade silver haloids and base-metal carbonates within the carbonate host rocks. Formalized mining began at the locality shortly after the initial discovery of silver-lead ore in 1870, with major production surges stimulated by new strikes in 1878 and the introduction of a copper smelter around 1890. Industrial operations continued intermittently through numerous corporate reorganizations, including the installation of a two-mile aerial transport tramway to the Jackrabbit railroad terminus in 1914, before transitioning to the Bristol Silver Mines Company configuration in 1929. Deep-level extraction and shipping of metal ores persisted dynamically through the mid-twentieth century until the local post office permanently closed in 1950, marking the end of continuous, large-scale commercial operations at the site.
Green botryoidal crystallized conichalcite very rich throughout all sides of this matrix. Interesting locality example for the species.
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