Quartz after Barite

specimen number:
2072335

location:
Qinglong, Dachang, Guizhou, China

description:
Interesting specimen showing sparkling sugary crystallized quartz replacing a cluster of tabular barite crystals. This is in good condition. Crystallized completely all around without any points of attachment.

The Qinglong Mine, located in the Dachang antimony ore field of Guizhou Province, China, is a significant epithermal antimony-gold deposit situated within the Nanpanjiang Basin. Geologically, the mineralization is hosted in Permian volcaniclastic rocks and carbonates, specifically where hydrothermal fluids rich in antimony and silica interacted with the host rock. The locality is known for its unique quartz pseudomorphs after barite, where fine-grained quartz or chalcedony replaced the original tabular barite crystals, often preserving the distinct bladed morphology of the precursor mineral. These specimens frequently feature a sparkling "drusy" coating of micro-quartz crystals over the pseudomorphosed forms, sometimes associated with fluorite and stibnite. Historically, mining and quarrying in the Qinglong district began to intensify in the mid-20th century, with the Dachang ore field becoming a major center for antimony production by the 1950s. While large-scale industrial mining has fluctuated over the decades, the site remains a globally recognized producer of antimony and a prolific source of specialized mineral specimens. As of 2026, the Qinglong Mine continues to be an important locality for both its metal reserves and its scientifically interesting pseudomorphic mineral occurrences.

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