Stibnite with Barite

specimen number:
2063852

location:
Waiotahi Mine, Waikato, New Zealand

description:
A loose cluster of stibnite crystals, these in the process of being replaced by stibiconite. Small crystals of barite cover most of the back of the cluster. In good condition with very minimal damage present. The specimen comes with a previous label from the collection of Ray DeMark.

The Waiotahi Mine, located in the historic Thames Goldfield within the Waikato region of New Zealand's Coromandel Peninsula, is situated in a Miocene volcanic belt known for rich epithermal vein deposits. Discovered in the late 1860s during the Coromandel gold rush, the mine became world-famous for its extraordinarily high-grade gold and silver production, particularly from the famed Bonanza seam in the early 1900s. Alongside precious metals, hydrothermal activity in the quartz veins deposited distinct secondary sulfide minerals, including fine bladed to acicular stibnite crystals. These silvery-gray, needle-like antimony sulfide specimens were collected by early miners as notable accessories to the gold ore, and historic Waiotahi Mine stibnite remains a prized piece of New Zealand mining heritage among classic mineral collectors today.

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