Franklinite

specimen number:
2262174

location:
Franklin, Sussex Co., New Jersey, USA

description:
A near solid mass of black franklinite with few partial crystals. Minor zinkenite is present.

Franklin, New Jersey, located in Sussex County, is known globally as the "Fluorescent Mineral Capital of the World" due to its unique and complex mineralogy. Geologically, the deposit is a stratiform zinc-iron-manganese ore body hosted within the Precambrian Franklin Marble. The mineralization is thought to have formed through the metamorphism of seafloor-deposited metal oxides and carbonates approximately 1.1 billion years ago, resulting in over 360 distinct mineral species, many of which are found nowhere else on Earth. Historically, while iron mining began in the mid-1700s, the large-scale extraction of zinc became the primary focus in the 19th century. The New Jersey Zinc Company consolidated various claims and operated the massive Sterling Hill and Franklin mines as major industrial hubs. The Franklin Mine specifically saw its peak production during the early to mid-20th century before closing in 1954 due to the exhaustion of the ore body. Today, the site is a legendary locality for collectors, famous for its "bright" minerals like willemite and franklinite that exhibit spectacular colors under ultraviolet light.

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