Wulfenite

specimen number:
2242008

location:
Red Cloud Mine, La Paz Co., Arizona, USA

description:
A wonderful attractive example for this famous locality, brilliant orange red translucent and lustrous crystals of wulfenite measuring to 2.6 cm across coming off matrix. This is in really good condition. The specimen comes with a series of previous labels as shown at the end of the video. This is said to have originally been part of the famous collection of Carl Bosch.

The Red Cloud Mine, located in the Silver District of the Trigo Mountains in La Paz County, Arizona, is world-renowned for producing the finest wulfenite specimens ever discovered. Geologically, the mine is situated within a complex fault zone where hydrothermal fluids deposited lead and silver minerals in volcanic host rocks, which later underwent extensive oxidation. This process resulted in the formation of wulfenite, a lead molybdate mineral, occurring as magnificent, tabular crystals with a deep "red-orange" color and high adamantine luster, often associated with mimetite and cerussite. Historically, mining and quarrying at the site began in the early 1880s, primarily for silver, with the main periods of operation occurring under the Silver King and later various independent operators through the early 20th century. While industrial silver production was relatively short-lived, the mine was reopened multiple times for specimen mining, notably in the 1990s and again in recent years, to satisfy the global demand for its unique crystals. The Red Cloud Mine remains an iconic locality in mineralogy, and geological research into its specific oxidation environment continues to provide insights into the formation of high-quality molybdate minerals through 2026.

Carl Bosch, born in 1874 and deceased in 1940, was a Nobel Prize winning German chemist and industrialist who assembled one of the most significant private mineral collections of the 20th century. Geologically, his collection was immense, comprising over 30,000 specimens that emphasized systematic species representation and exceptional crystallized examples from classic European and North American localities. Historically, Bosch utilized his considerable resources as the head of IG Farben to acquire several famous historical collections, including those of Wilhelm Seligmann and others, ensuring the preservation of rare 19th-century material. His collecting activities peaked between 1900 and 1930, during which he focused on chemical completeness and the morphological variety of mineral species. Following his death, the Smithsonian Institution acquired the collection in 1965, where it remains a cornerstone of the National Museum of Natural Historys mineral holdings.

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