Helvite with Quartz, Calcite

specimen number:
5006905

location:
Huanggang mines, Inner Mongolia, China

description:

An outstanding cabinet sized example for the species with a large grouping of lustrous chocolate brown crystals measuring 7.0 cm across on a crystallized quartz matrix with thin platy crystals of calcite. This is in super condition. Collected in 2013.

The Huanggang Mines, situated in the Hexigten Banner of Inner Mongolia within the Great Hinggan Mountains, comprise a massive skarn-type iron and tin deposit. Geologically, the area formed through the intense thermal and chemical interaction of Late Mesozoic granitic intrusions with Permian limestone and marble strata, creating an environment exceptionally rich in iron, tin, and boron. Mineralogically, the complex skarn zones are world famous for producing an incredible diversity of pristine mineral specimens, including striking clusters of lollingite, vibrant fluorite, superb ilvaite and various silicates and oxides. Historically, large-scale industrial mining began in the late 1990s for iron and tin extraction, but the site gained international renown among mineral collectors in the 21st century for yielding some of the finest aesthetic crystal specimens ever discovered.

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