Smithsonite

specimen number:
9302312

location:
Mine No. 6, Sounion, Lavrion, Greece

description:

Attractive green crystals of smithsonite in groupings to 0.5 cm in size across the top of matrix. In great condition. An attractive example of this Greek classic.

The Kamariza Mine Number 6, located within the Sounion-Lavrion mining district of the Attica Peninsula, Greece, is an ancient polymetallic deposit known for producing diverse suites of secondary carbonate and arsenate mineral specimens. Geologically, the region is characterized by the Attic-Cycladic Metamorphic Belt, where tectonic extension created structural contacts between alternating layers of low-grade metamorphic marbles and schists, known locally as the first, second, and third contact zones. High-temperature hydrothermal fluids intruded these contacts along fault systems, depositing primary lead, zinc, and iron sulfides, which later underwent intensive supergene weathering to create localized, zinc-rich oxidation zones. Mining history at the site spans millennia, with extensive silver and lead extraction initiated by ancient Athenians from the sixth century BC through the fourth century BC to finance their naval fleet and public works. Modern operations revived the sector in 1865 under French and Greek corporate consortiums, including the Compagnie Francaise des Mines de Laurium, which systematically re-mined the ancient slags and developed underground shafts like Mine Number 6 to extract industrial-grade zinc carbonate ore until economic exhaustion led to the general cessation of deep commercial mining in the late 1970s.

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