Hematite

specimen number:
8311380

location:
Montreal Mine, Iron Co., Wisconsin, USA

description:
Lustrous botryoidal kidney ore hematite specimen from this famous old locality. In great condition.

The Montreal Mine, situated in the Gogebic Range in Iron County, Wisconsin, was one of the deepest and most productive underground iron mines in the world. Geologically, the ore bodies consisted of high-grade hematite and goethite hosted within the Paleoproterozoic Ironwood Iron Formation, where the ore was concentrated in V-shaped troughs formed by the intersection of tilted sedimentary beds and cross-cutting igneous dikes. This structural setting allowed the mine to reach staggering depths of nearly 4,000 feet below the surface. Historically, the mine was opened in 1886 and saw its most significant development under the management of the Oglebay Norton Company. It played a vital role in the industrial output of the region for three-quarters of a century, consistently producing millions of tons of "Bessemer" grade ore. The operation remained a mainstay of the local economy until it officially closed in 1962, marking the end of an era for deep-shaft mining on the Wisconsin side of the Gogebic Range.

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