Stibnite

specimen number:
2102270

location:
McLaughlin Mine, Clear Lake, California, USA

description:
Bright thin metallic crystals of stibnite across the front of matrix. In good condition and very choice for the locality and species.

The McLaughlin Mine, located at the junction of Napa, Lake, and Yolo counties near Clear Lake, California, is a world-class example of a hot-spring type epithermal gold deposit. Geologically, the mine is situated along the Stony Creek Fault within the Coast Ranges, where Quaternary volcanic activity driven by the Clear Lake magmatic system interacted with local groundwaters to precipitate metals in a complex network of chalcedonic sinter and brecciated serpentine. The deposit is mineralogically notable for its fine specimens of stibnite, which occur as delicate, acicular metallic-gray needles and radiating sprays often encased in or perched upon translucent silica. Historically, the site was originally a mercury producer known as the Manhattan Mine in the late 1800s before its significant gold potential was discovered by Homestake Mining Company in 1978. Large-scale open-pit gold mining commenced in 1985 and continued through 1996, with processing of stockpiled ore lasting until 2002. Since the cessation of mining, the site has been transformed into the Donald and Sylvia McLaughlin University of California Natural Reserve, serving as a premier center for environmental research and ecological restoration.

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