Quartz (SIL-0005)

specimen number:
9273181

location:
Ohio Mine, Ouray, Colorado, USA

description:

Classic quartz specimen from Colorado, this with sparkling white prismatic milky crystals in a cluster without matrix. In great condition all around.

The Ohio mine, located at the base of the Amphitheater formation just east of the town of Ouray in Ouray County, Colorado, was a historic underground extraction operation primarily focused on base and precious metals. Geologically, the mine is situated within the prolific Ouray mining district, where mineralization occurs within fault-controlled hydrothermal veins slicing through the thick volcanic sequences of the San Juan breccia and associated Tertiary volcanic piles. These fissures carried mineral-rich solutions that deposited quartz, calcite, and fluorite alongside economic concentrations of gold, silver, galena, and sphalerite, with the site gaining notable renown for producing exceptional plates of large, sharply formed milky quartz crystals and distinct pseudomorphs. Underground operations began following initial claims in the late nineteenth century, with active development continuing sporadically through the early twentieth century before transitioning into a famous, specialized locality well known to mineral collectors.

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