Witherite

Unknown Owner

A colorless translucent grouping of double terminated witherite crystals 3.2 cm in length coming off matrix with minor fluorite. This is in excellent condition. From the early 1970s. Brightly fluorescent.The Minerva No. 1 Mine, located in Hardin County, Illinois, was a major operation in the Illinois Kentucky Fluorspar District, developed in the mid 20th century by the Ozark Mahoning Company to extract fluorite from vein deposits hosted in limestone. Extensive underground workings followed mineralized zones formed by hydrothermal fluids that introduced fluorine and other elements into fractures in the host rock. In addition to fluorite, the mine produced a variety of associated minerals, including witherite, a barium carbonate mineral. Witherite from Minerva No. 1 typically occurs as white to colorless crystals and masses in cavities, often associated with fluorite, calcite, and other carbonates. These specimens formed under specific chemical conditions within the deposit and are valued by collectors for their rarity and association with this important American mining locality.