Tetrahedrite

specimen number:
2262226

location:
Kellogg, Shoshone Co., Idaho, USA

description:
A great reference quality example for the species from this famous mining district, bright metallic masses of tetrahedrite throughout matrix with massive quartz. Siderite is present as well. The specimen comes with a previous collection data card with an acquisition date shown is 1961.

The Kellogg mining district, situated within the world-famous Coeur d'Alene mineral belt of Shoshone County, Idaho, is one of the most prolific silver, lead, and zinc producers in United States history, renowned for its extensive deposits of massive silver-bearing tetrahedrite. Geologically, these world-class deposits are hosted within thick, intensely deformed Precambrian metasedimentary rocks of the Belt Supergroup, where large-scale structural faulting allowed deep-seated, high-temperature hydrothermal fluids to form massive, deep-vein mineralized zones. The tetrahedrite occurs primarily in heavy, granular, steel-gray massive form, containing exceptionally high percentages of silver substitution (often termed argentian tetrahedrite or freibergite) tightly intergrown with siderite, quartz, galena, and chalcopyrite. Historically, the district's mining and quarrying era began with the discovery of the legendary Bunker Hill mine in 1885, followed closely by the development of the Sunshine, Crescent, and galena mines. Corporate underground mining operations expanded dramatically throughout the 20th century, with the district producing well over one billion ounces of silver before fluctuating metal prices and environmental cleanups led to a major consolidation of active properties in the 1980s and 1990s. Select underground operations and deep-vein extraction projects continue through 2026, and massive tetrahedrite specimens from Kellogg remain the definitive historical reference material for North American silver mineralization.

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