Fluorite

specimen number:
8311267

location:
Beihilfe Mine, Halsbrucke, Mittelsachsen, Saxony, Germany

description:

An attractive large grouping of translucent purple to yellow lustrous sharp cubic crystals of fluorite, the largest measuring to 6.0 cm on edge. This is in really good condition and quite fine for this old classic locality.

The Beihilfe Mine, located in the Halsbruecke district near Freiberg in Saxony, Germany, is a classic locality within the historic Freiberg mining field. Geologically, it exploited the Brander Revier vein system, which consists of silver-rich polymetallic hydrothermal veins hosted within Precambrian gneiss. These veins belong to the "noble quartz-formation" and "sulfide-rich base metal formation," where mineral-rich fluids deposited galena, sphalerite, and silver sulfosalts during the Variscan orogeny. Historically, the Beihilfe shaft was part of the larger Himmelsfuerst Fundgrube complex, one of the most famous and productive silver mines in Europe. While mining in the region dates back to the 12th century, the Beihilfe shaft saw significant modern industrial activity during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It remained an active part of the district's drainage and extraction network until the final cessation of silver mining in the Freiberg area around 1969.

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