Wulfenite (WUL-0001)

specimen number:
9273194

location:
Erupcion Mine, Los Lamentos, Chihuahua, Mexico

description:
Lustrous platy mostly gemmy crystals of wulfenite to 1.5 cm in size across the top of matrix. Superb color and luster, this is in very good condition for one of these.

The Erupcion mine, located in the Los Lamentos district of Chihuahua, Mexico, was a notable underground lead, zinc, and silver operation. Geologically, the deposit consists of a classic, gently inclined manto-type body hosted within Cretaceous limestone sequences. Intense oxidation of primary galena and sphalerite by descending groundwaters created a rich secondary assembly dominated by massive cerussite and thick, blocky crystals of wulfenite, typically deposited on a white dolomite matrix. Discovered in 1907, commercial mining began around 1916 and expanded into the deep, interconnected Ahumada workings. Primary industrial-scale extraction continued until 1931, when unmanageable water inflows forced the closure of the main corporate operations. Following the end of major industrial activity, the site was worked intermittently on an artisanal basis, with notable periods of specimen recovery in the 1960s and 1970s during structural drawdowns of the local water table.

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