Vivianite

Unknown Owner

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A set of two partial vivianite crystals from this old locality. The specimen comes with an antique label as shown at the end of the video and dates to the very early 20th century. Size provided is in average between the two pieces. The Ibex Mine, located on Breece Hill east of Leadville, Colorado, was established in the late nineteenth century and became highly significant during the region's transition from silver to gold mining. Geologically, the deposit sits within the Colorado Mineral Belt, where Tertiary-period magmatic intrusions introduced complex hydrothermal fluids into local host rocks, including the Mississippian Leadville Limestone. These fluids deposited rich, multi-metal sulfide veins containing pyrite, galena, sphalerite, gold, and silver. Historically operated by the Ibex Mining Company, the mine (particularly the Little Jonny shaft) became famous for producing massive amounts of high-grade gold ore and spectacular, crystallized native gold specimens, establishing Breece Hill as one of the most productive gold-mining sectors in the Leadville district. Ernst August Bottcher was a prominent German natural history dealer active in Berlin during the early twentieth century. Operating the "Naturalien- und Lehrmittel-Anstalt Ernst A. Bottcher" from the historic Bruederstrasse district, he supplied educational institutions and private collectors with teaching collections, scientific equipment, and geologic specimens, including minerals and insects.