Fluorite with Chalcopyrite

specimen number:
2013628

location:
Denton Mine, Hardin Co., Illinois, USA

description:

Absolutely gorgeous grouping of amber to light bluish purple cubic fluorite crystals without matrix. Chalcopyrite are scattered throughout. This is in super condition. Collected in the early to mid 1980s. Beautiful when backlit as seen in the picture and video. The quality on this one is excellent.

The Denton Mine, situated in the Harris Creek District of Hardin County, Illinois, was one of the most productive and technologically advanced fluorspar mines in the Illinois-Kentucky Fluorspar District. Geologically, the mine targeted Mississippi Valley-Type (MVT) bedded replacement deposits within the Mississippian-aged Spar Mountain Member of the Ste. Genevieve Limestone. The ore bodies consisted of massive layers of high-purity fluorite that replaced the host limestone along structural fractures and bedding planes, often yielding spectacular, large cubic crystals in shades of purple, blue, and yellow, frequently associated with sphalerite, galena, and barite. Historically, the mine was developed and operated by the Ozark-Mahoning Company, with production beginning in 1979 and continuing until the mine was closed and flooded in early 1994. During its tenure, it was a critical source of acid-grade fluorspar for the American chemical industry and is remembered by mineralogists for the exceptional clarity and size of the fluorite specimens recovered from its deep levels.

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