Fluorapatite

specimen number:
2133414

location:
Cedar City, Iron Co., Utah, USA

description:
Loose yellow glassy translucent terminated crystal of fluorapatite. In great condition.

The Iron Mountain mining district, located near Cedar City in Iron County, Utah, is an important iron-producing region in the western United States. Geologically, the deposits consist of massive iron-ore replacement bodies, primarily magnetite and hematite, formed along the contact zone where Miocene-aged granodiorite laccoliths intruded into the limestone layers of the Jurassic-aged Carmel Formation. Hydrothermal fluids associated with the igneous intrusions replaced the limestone with high-grade iron oxides, creating extensive ore bodies flanking the mountains. Iron ore was first discovered in the district around 1849, leading to the establishment of the pioneer-era Deseret Iron Company in 1851 to support local settlement needs. Industrial-scale extraction expanded significantly in 1923 with the arrival of the railroad, supplying ore to the Columbia Steel plant and later the Geneva Steel plant near Provo. Major open-pit operations were conducted by various corporate entities, including the Utah Construction Company, through the mid-to-late twentieth century, with primary mining activity continuing intermittently until the closure of the Geneva Steel mill in 2002, followed by short-term, sporadic mining revivals in the 2010s and early 2020s.

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