Galena

specimen number:
2262102

location:
Sweetwater Mine, Viburnum Trend, Reynolds Co., Missouri, USA

description:
From the very early days of mining at this locality, extremely sharp and bright lustrous cubic crystal of galena, this with pronounced octahedral crystal faces, in a cluster with smaller cube octahedral crystals of galena. Note the old label that comes with the specimen giving an erroneous locality. There was never a St. Joe Lead District in Missouri. This can often be found on labels from very early material from this mining district.

The Sweetwater Mine, located in the Viburnum Trend of southeast Missouri, is a major lead-zinc deposit situated within the world-class Mississippi Valley-type (MVT) mineral district. Geologically, the ore is hosted in the Cambrian-aged Bonneterre Formation, where hydrothermal fluids replaced dolomitized limestone with massive sulfides along the western flank of the Ozark Uplift. The mine is a notable source of galena, the primary ore of lead, which occurs as sharp, metallic, cubic to cubo-octahedral crystals that are often associated with yellow chalcopyrite and iridescent marcasite. Historically, mining and quarrying activities at the site began during the rapid expansion of the Viburnum Trend in the 1960s, with the Sweetwater operation (originally known as the Adair Creek mine) commencing production around 1967. The facility has undergone various ownership changes, including long periods of operation by Ozark Lead Company and later Doe Run Company, and it remains a productive industrial site through 2026. The locality is highly regarded by both the mining industry and mineral collectors for its consistent output of high-purity lead ore and aesthetically striking mineral specimens.

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