BARYTE. Gordonsville Mine, Carthage, Centra Tennessee Ba-F-Pb-Zn District, Smith County, Tennessee, USA. ...

Description

BARYTE
Gordonsville Mine, Carthage, Centra Tennessee Ba-F-Pb-Zn District, Smith County, Tennessee, USA

Like an oversize scoop of mashed potatoes, the center of this museum size specimen is dominated, by a huge 5½ inch (14.4 cm) in diameter sphere of Baryte crystals of a light tan color, parked rather conspicuously on a matrix plate of shiny black Sphalerite showing deep red, internal reflections. The Baryte making up the sphere has the texture of coarsely granular snow. Keeping the Baryte company is a bevy of purple Fluorite cubes clustered about the base of the Baryte. They range in size up to 1.88 inches (4.5 cm) on edge and while most of the cubes possess a violet color, some of them have much lighter areas of transparent Chablis coloration, forming the corners of the cubes. Under the surfaces of the Fluorite are numerous microscopic inclusions, probably Pyrite or Chalcopyrite. A few water-clear Calcite crystals dust one or two of the cube faces.
Overall measurements: 13 x 9 x 6 inches (33 x 22.9 x 15.2 cm).

Provenance: Williams Minerals [Hoppel # D1741]

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