Owyheeite

specimen number:
2133190

location:
Morey Mine, Nye Co., Nevada, USA

description:
Very good example for the species with metallic crystalline rich up on matrix.

The Morey Mine, located in the Morey District of the Hot Creek Range in Nye County, Nevada, is a historic silver producer known for its complex sulfosalt mineralogy. Geologically, the deposit consists of narrow hydrothermal quartz veins hosted within mid-Tertiary volcanic rocks, primarily rhyolitic ash-flow tuffs associated with the Morey cauldron. These veins are enriched in silver, lead, and antimony, leading to the formation of rare species such as owyheeite, a lead-silver-antimony sulfosalt that typically occurs as fine, acicular metallic needles or massive silvery-gray aggregates. Historically, the district was discovered in 1865 and saw its most significant period of activity between 1866 and 1891, during which time a mill was erected to process the high-grade silver ores. Small-scale production and exploratory work continued intermittently through the early 20th century, with some activity recorded as late as the 1940s and 1960s. While never a major industrial giant compared to the Comstock Lode, the Morey Mine remains a significant locality for mineralogists due to the presence of well-crystallized owyheeite and other rare silver-bearing minerals found within its oxidized and primary ore zones.

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