Wulfenite with Willemite

specimen number:
2242067

location:
Erupcion Mine, Los Lamentos, Chihuahua, Mexico

description:
Glassy platy orange gem quality crystals of wulfenite measuring to 2.0 cm on edge set up on matrix with white micro crystal groupings of willemite. This is in really good condition. An attractive combination piece.

The Erupcion Mine, located in the Los Lamentos Mountains of Chihuahua, Mexico, is world-famous for its unique and prolific production of lead-molybdenum minerals. Geologically, the deposit is a carbonate-hosted replacement system where hydrothermal fluids formed ore bodies within the thick Cretaceous limestones of the Sierra de los Lamentos. The mine is the premier locality for wulfenite specimens characterized by thick, blocky, "butterscotch" to orange-brown crystals that are distinct from the thin, tabular habits found at other sites. Historically, mining and quarrying at the Erupcion (later part of the Ahumada-Erupcion complex) began in earnest around 1915 after significant lead-silver ores were discovered. The mine saw its most intense period of industrial operation during the 1920s and early 1930s, becoming one of the most profitable mines in Mexico at the time due to the high grade of its oxidized ores. While primary commercial production ceased by the mid-20th century, the Erupcion Mine remains a legendary name in mineralogy for its massive, robust crystals and serves as a classic example of lead-oxidation in an arid mountain environment through 2026.

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