Sphalerite with Galena, Calcite

specimen number:
2212192

location:
Picher Field, Tri-State District, Oklahoma, USA

description:
Lustrous black crystals of sphalerite across matrix.

The Picher Field, centered around Picher in Ottawa County, Oklahoma, and extending into Cherokee County, Kansas, was the most productive zinc and lead mining area within the historic Tri-State District. Geologically, the deposit is classified as a Mississippi Valley-type carbonate-replacement system hosted within the Mississippian-aged Boone Formation, which is composed heavily of chert, limestone, and dolomite. Intense structural fracturing and dissolution of the limestone created large brecciated networks where low-temperature, metal-bearing hydrothermal fluids deposited massive sulfide ores, primarily sphalerite and galena, along with notable calcite, chalcopyrite, and marcasite crystals. Commercial mining began following major ore discoveries in 1914, driving a rapid production boom that peaked during the 1920s and supplied critical metals during both World Wars. Large-scale corporate underground operations continued for decades until declining ore grades, high pumping costs, and extensive environmental degradation forced the progressive closure of the mines, with the final major commercial milling and extraction operations shutting down permanently in 1970.

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