Galena, Quartz: Keystone mine, Crested Butte, Colorado USA

Description

Species: Galena, Sphalerite, Quartz

Locality: Keystone mine, Mount Emmons, Crested Butte, Gunnison Co., Colorado 

Dimensions: 16 x 15 x 4 cm.

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The Keystone mine, situated atop the giant, as-of-yet unmined Mount Emmons molybdenum deposit, operated up until the early 1970’s and is known for it’s rare but often superb crystallized galena and sphalerite specimens. This is an outstanding large plate of sharp dodecahedral, matte-gray galena crystals to ~1 cm with black sphalerite crystals. It was mined by Elmer Elliott in 1972 and was purchased that same year by Tom Rosemeyer, whose collection I acquired it from. Large, undamaged Keystone mine specimens of this quality are simply not around! Mark Cross photo.