Wulfenite

specimen number:
2072056

location:
Ojuela Mine, Mapimi, Durango, Mexico

description:
Lustrous caramel colored prismatic crystals of wulfenite measuring to 0.5 cm in size very nice across the top of matrix. This is in very good condition.

The Ojuela Mine, located in Mapimi, Durango, Mexico, is a world-class mineral locality with a history stretching back to its discovery by Spanish explorers in 1598. For over three centuries, it was a massive producer of silver, lead, and zinc, fueled by a complex geological setting. The deposit is an oxidized replacement system hosted within Cretaceous limestones, where hydrothermal fluids created large pipes and chimneys of ore. While the mine is famous for many species, it experienced a notable resurgence in wulfenite collecting roughly 15 to 20 years ago, particularly around 2005 to 2010. During this period, specimen miners encountered pockets containing exceptional orange to yellow-orange wulfenite crystals. These finds were characterized by thin, tabular habits and often displayed a distinctive bipyramidal or blocky form compared to the more common wafer-thin plates found elsewhere. The timeline of collecting at Ojuela has transitioned from industrial scale in the early 1900s to a primarily specimen-based economy today. Local miners, known as gambusinos, continue to explore the vast underground network, which reaches depths of over 500 meters, to recover these vibrant lead molybdate crystals from the upper oxidation zones.

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