Strontianite with Barite, Sphalerite

specimen number:
2102399

location:
Minerva Mine #1, Hardin Co., Illinois, USA

description:
Slightly pinkish crystals of strontianite very rich across the top of a sphalerite matrix with barite. Slight damage present typical of these, this one still very good.

The Minerva No. 1 mine, located north of Cave-in-Rock in Hardin County, Illinois, was a premier underground fluorspar operation situated within the world-famous Illinois-Kentucky Fluorspar District. Geologically, the deposit consists of extensive, stratabound bedding-replacement ore bodies hosted within Mississippian-aged sedimentary rocks, specifically the Joppa member of the Ste. Genevieve Limestone and the overlying Renault Limestone. Hydrothermal fluids migrating along regional faults replaced the carbonate host rocks, precipitating massive beds of fluorite alongside sphalerite, galena, barite, and witherite, creating a site celebrated for producing world-class specimens of multi-colored, zoned fluorite crystals. Developed by the Minerva Oil Company, the underground mine commenced formal operations in March 1944 following the completion of a primary flotation mill designed to process metallurgical, ceramic, and acid-grade fluorspar alongside zinc concentrates. The property changed ownership several times, being acquired by the Ozark-Mahoning Company in 1976 and later by the Hastie Mining Company, with continuous production sustained through multiple shafts until declining domestic markets and cheap foreign imports forced the permanent cessation of mining at the site in 1995.

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