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Sphalerite & Calcite

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DMC861835

Sphalerite & Calcite

Description Tabs

Description
Locality: 
Elmwood Mine, Carthage, Smith County, Tennessee, United States of America
Class: 
Crystals on Matrix
Size Range: 
Thumbnail (1-3cm)
Size: 
2.2 × 1.7 × 1.5 cm
Description

This has got to be one of the most striking sphalerite twins I've come across. Not only does it show the twin planes very distinctly, it also has an incredibly intricate surface texture that, combined with the mirror bright lustre, emphasises the twinning even more markedly. In regular lighting the crystal already shows some very nice flashes of red, but with some backlighting it absolutely glows, as seen in the first photo. The sphalerite is perched beautifully on top of the specimen, with the sharp scallenohedral white calcite adding yet more contrast. According to the base it was mounted on, this stems from a find in 1998. Overall a really great thumbnail specimen that was a real joy to photograph!

Mineral Data
What's on the rock

Sphalerite

Formula: 
ZnS
Strunz: 
2.CB.05a
Crystal System: 
Isometric
Hardness: 
3.5 - 4.0

Calcite

Polymorph of: 
Formula: 
CaCO3
Strunz: 
5.AB.05
Crystal System: 
Trigonal
Hardness: 
3.0
Streak: 
White
DutchMineralCollective

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