Marcasite

specimen number:
8911195

location:
Buick Mine, Viburnum Trend, Iron Co., Missouri, USA

description:
A bright lustrous golden crystallized grouping of marcasite stalactites, these terminated and in good condition. Complete all around. The specimen comes with a previous label from the Alton collection. This label refers to the material is pyrite, but it is marcasite. The date provided on that label also I believe to be incorrect, these were collected in the middle 2000's.

The Buick Mine, located in Iron County, Missouri, is a major lead and zinc underground operation situated within the world-class Viburnum Trend mineral belt. Geologically, the deposit formed during the Paleozoic era when deep-seated, metal-bearing hydrothermal fluids migrated through carbonate rocks, depositing galena, sphalerite, chalcopyrite, and pyrite as replacement bodies and vein fillings within the Cambrian Bonneterre Formation. Mining operations began in the late 1960s after rich ore bodies were discovered beneath the Ozark highlands, leading to decades of large-scale industrial extraction. In addition to its substantial economic output, the mine became celebrated among mineral collectors for producing spectacular mineral specimens, including sharp galena crystals, lustrous chalcopyrite on dolomite, colorful sphalerite, and well-crystallized calcite groups that represent some of the finest geological treasures of the Mississippi Valley-type ore deposit model.

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