Sphalerite with Marcasite, Quartz

specimen number:
2171001

location:
Washington Co., Missouri, USA

description:
Mining in this Missouri county first commenced in the early to mid 1700s. Most underground mining was finished by the late 1800s to early 1900s. The area was mined for lead. In later days surface deposits were mined some for lead but mainly for barite to be used in the oil industry. The specimen is from a new find. The collectors at this time will not divulge the exact locality, however I'm quite sure that this is coming from an old underground mine. In 40 years of collecting minerals in this state, I have not seen anything quite like this. Very attractive black to sort of reddish-brown translucent crystal groupings of sphalerite to 1.0 cm in diameter are scattered over the top of a 13.0 x 6.0 x 3.0 cm crystallized quartz matrix. Iridescent micro crystals of marcasite scattered throughout. There is minimal micro-chipping present, this present on almost every specimen from the lot. Still quite neat and unique, I believe this will be a limited find. Sits perfectly by itself for display. Shipping weight: 0.56 pounds.

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