Fluorite with Chalcopyrite

specimen number:
2063596

location:
Minerva Mine #1, Hardin Co., Illinois, USA

description:
A loose cluster very pale blue to almost colorless gemmy lustrous cubic crystals of fluorite, the largest measuring to 2.0 cm on edge. This is crystallized completely all around and in good condition. The crystals exhibit internal inclusions of chalcopyrite. The specimen comes with a previous label from the collection of Ray DeMark.

The Minerva Mine Number 1, located near Cave-in-Rock in Hardin County, Illinois, was a cornerstone of the historic Illinois-Kentucky fluorspar district. Discovered in 1940 and sinking its primary shaft in 1942, the mine operated intermittently until its final closure in 1996. Geologically, the deposit sits within Mississippian-age carbonate host rocks, where fluorine-bearing hydrothermal fluids migrated through regional faults and bedding-plane replacement zones to form rich ore bodies. Mineralogically, the mine achieved world-renowned status among collectors for producing spectacular specimens, most notably exceptionally sharp cubic and multi-colored fluorite crystals often associated with sphalerite, calcite, barite, strontianite, and witherite.

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