Sphalerite

specimen number:
8911129

location:
Elmwood complex, Smith Co., Tennessee, USA

description:

Bright lustrous sharp crystals of sphalerite measuring to 1.5 cm in size across the top of a massive sphalerite matrix. In great condition. The specimen comes with a previous label from the Alton collection.

The Elmwood complex, comprising primarily of the Elmwood, Gordonsville, and Cumberland Mines, in Smith County, Tennessee, is situated within Paleozoic carbonate rock formations where mineralizing hydrothermal brines circulated through ancient, open solution cavities, faults, and breccia zones. Originally developed for industrial underground mining starting in the 1970s, the facility gained global renown among mineral collectors because miners recovered world-class crystal specimens from vugs and cavities intersected during operations. While the complex has experienced intermittent commercial closures and changes in corporate ownership over the decades, it remains a legendary locality celebrated for producing some of the finest aesthetic mineral crystals ever discovered.

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