Quartz on Danburite (SIL-0034)

specimen number:
9273184

location:
San Bartolo Mine, Charcas, San Luis Potosi, Mexico

description:

A cluster of very large thick prismatic terminated crystals of danburite, these coated and in the process of being replaced by sparkling colorless crystals of quartz. Classic for the locality and species. In very good condition all around.

The San Bartolo mine, centered in the historic Charcas mining district of San Luis Potosi, Mexico, is a major component of a long-lived, highly productive underground zinc, lead, copper, and silver operation. Geologically, the deposit consists of complex polymetallic skarns and tabular mantos that formed where Cretaceous sedimentary sequences, including the Zuloaga Limestone, were intruded and metasomatized by Tertiary granodiorite stocks and dikes. These hydrothermal interactions precipitated massive sulfide mineral zones rich in sphalerite, galena, and chalcopyrite, accompanied by an array of notable borate and silicate minerals like borcarite and datolite within the associated skarn gangue. Although mining in the Charcas district dates back to the discovery of silver veins by Spanish explorers in the 1570s, modern corporate exploitation of the complex deposit began in earnest in 1925 under Industrial Minera Mexico (IMMSA), a subsidiary of Grupo Mexico. The San Bartolo underground unit, functioning alongside adjacent shafts like La Aurora and Rey-Reina, has maintained continuous industrial extraction, milling, and flotation operations from the mid-twentieth century through to the present day.

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