Brucite

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Very fine Pennsylvania classic, a cluster of platy white crystals of brucite. The specimen comes with several antique labels courtesy of the University of Pennsylvania. In great condition. The Wood's chrome mine, located near Texas in Little Britain Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, is a historic American mineral locality noted for producing brucite, zaratite, and kammererite specimens. Geologically, the deposit is situated within the State Line Serpentine Barrens, an alpine-type ultramafic body consisting of serpentinized peridotite that was obducted onto the North American continent during the Paleozoic Appalachian orogeny. Hydrothermal alteration of the ultramafic rock led to the concentration of podiform chromite ore bodies and the formation of fractures lined with unique secondary magnesium and chromium minerals. Commercial operations at the underground mine began in 1828 under the direction of Isaac Tyson Jr., expanding to become a leading global source of industrial chromium during the mid-nineteenth century. Primary industrial extraction ceased in 1881 when the main ore lode was exhausted.

Product details

SpeciesBrucite

SizeSmall Cabinet

Dimensions5.5 x 5.0 x 1.0 cm

Added on07/16/2026

LocalityUSA, Pennsylvania, Wood's Chrome Mine

Current owner

Unknown Owner

Acquired: Sep 2026

Previous owners

Date	Collector	Acquisition price
—	Weinrich Minerals	Not disclosed

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Mineral guide

Learn about Brucite

(Mg(OH)2) - vivid lemon-yellow to blue hues; delicate with perfect cleavage, prized for translucent, sculptural forms from Pakistan and Henan.

Regional guide

Brucite from Wood’s Chrome Mine, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, USA

Wood’s Chrome Mine is the classic American locality for crystallized brucite. Its best specimens are not merely “old Pennsylvania” curiosities; they are benchmark brucites: pale, lustrous, translucent plates and rounded aggregates that show the mineral in a sculptural, collectable form rather than as anonymous foliated masses. The finest pieces display stacked pseudohexagonal blades, pearly to waxy faces, and a subdued color range from colorless and white through grayish and pale yellow-green to the soft green tones most prized from the locality.

Locality guide