Galena with Fluorite

specimen number:
2092195

location:
Annabel Lee Mine, Hardin Co., Illinois, USA

description:
Lustrous crystals of galena to 0.5 cm on edge across the top of a translucent purple cubic fluorite crystal matrix. Small crystals of sphalerite are scattered throughout. Nice little combination specimen.

The Annabel Lee Mine, located in Hardin County, Illinois, was one of the last major underground operations in the historic Illinois-Kentucky Fluorspar District. Geologically, it exploited a classic vein-type deposit hosted within the Mississippian-aged St. Louis and Ste. Genevieve Limestones, where mineralizing hydrothermal fluids filled structural faults. The mine is legendary for its world-class fluorite specimens, often occurring as sharp, transparent cubes in striking colors such as deep purple, amber-yellow, and pale blue, frequently found in association with lustrous sphalerite, galena, and barite. Historically, the mine was developed by the Ozark-Mahoning Company, with shaft sinking beginning in 1982 and full-scale production starting in 1984. It remained a primary producer of acid-grade fluorspar until the decline of domestic mining led to its closure and flooding in 1995. Today, the Annabel Lee is remembered as a premier locality that produced some of the most aesthetic and geometrically perfect fluorite specimens in the world during the final decade of the district's industrial activity.

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