Zinkenite with Quartz

specimen number:
1052505

location:
Graf Jost-Christian Mine, Wolfsberg, Sangerhausen, Mansfeld-Sudharz, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany

description:
From the type locality for the species, rich masses of metallic zinkenite throughout a quartz matrix. The specimen comes with an antique label as shown at the end of the video and dates to the 19th century. Ex collection of Wilhelm Hoyer.

The Graf Jost-Christian Mine, located in Wolfsberg within the Harz Mountains of Germany, is a historically significant site for both its industrial past and its unique mineralogical contributions. Originally established in the early 18th century and operating intermittently through the mid-19th century, the mine targeted hydrothermal vein deposits primarily for the extraction of antimony. Geologically, these veins are hosted within Paleozoic shales and graywackes, formed by the deposition of metallic minerals from cooling, deep-seated fluids. The mine gained international fame as the type locality for zinkenite, a rare lead-antimony sulfosalt first described by Gustav Rose in 1826. Zinkenite from the Graf Jost-Christian Mine typically occurs as needle-like or acicular crystals, often forming dense, felt-like masses or radiating clusters with a metallic, steel-gray luster. These specimens are highly prized by mineralogists for their chemical purity and well-defined crystalline structure. While commercial mining has long since ceased, the locality remains a classic reference point in geological literature for the study of antimony-bearing mineral systems.

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