Pyromorphite

specimen number:
1471052

location:
Pfingstwiese mine, Bad Ems, Rhein-Laun-Kreis, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany

description:

A fine large old-timer from Germany. Green crystals of pyromorphite measuring to 0.8 cm in size are mostly covering the front of this matrix with minor quartz. Some damage is present as seen, I think that this is still quite good for the species from this old mining district. The specimen comes with an antique label as shown at the end of the video. The label dates the specimen prior to 1908. 

The Pfingstwiese Mine, located in the historic Bad Ems district of the Lahn River valley in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, was a major producer of lead, zinc, and silver. Geologically, it exploited hydrothermal ore veins hosted within Lower Devonian sedimentary rocks, specifically Emmsian-aged sandstones and shales. The mineralization occurred in steeply dipping fissure veins where primary sulfides like galena and sphalerite were deposited, often accompanied by siderite, quartz, and calcite. This site is particularly famous among mineralogists for producing world-class specimens of pyromorphite. Historically, mining in the Bad Ems area dates back to Roman times, but the Pfingstwiese Mine saw its most significant industrial development during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It operated as a core part of the Emser Blei- und Silberwerk (Bad Ems Lead and Silver Works) until the gradual depletion of high-grade ores and economic pressures led to its closure in 1945. Today, the mine is remembered as one of the most productive and mineralogically significant localities within the entire Lahn-Dill district.

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