Fluorite with Calcite

specimen number:
8311392

location:
Yaogangxian Mine, Chenzhou, Hunan, China

description:

Attractive gemmy color zoned lustrous crystals of fluorite to 2.9 cm on edge in a cluster with minor calcite. This is in good condition. Crystallized naturally all around.

The Yaogangxian Mine, located in the Yizhang County of Hunan Province, China, is a world-renowned tungsten-tin deposit situated within the Nanling Range. Geologically, it is a complex hydrothermal vein system associated with the intrusion of Jurassic-aged granites into Devonian sandstones and shales, resulting in a rich array of minerals including wolframite, scheelite, and various sulfides. The mine is most famous among collectors for its exceptional fluorite specimens, which typically occur as sharp, transparent cubes that often exhibit a distinct purple or blue-to-teal color, sometimes with intricate phantom growth layers and associated with shiny crystals of ferberite or muscovite. Historically, mining activities at Yaogangxian began in the early 20th century, specifically around 1914, and the site became a major industrial producer of tungsten for the Chinese state. Large-scale underground operations expanded significantly throughout the mid-to-late 1900s and continue to the present day. While primarily an industrial metal mine, the discovery of massive, high-quality mineral pockets over the last few decades has established Yaogangxian as one of the most important and prolific localities for display-quality fluorite in the international mineral market.

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