Detailed information
Species
Fluorite, Baryte
Dimensions
40 x 38 x 22
mm
Weight
14 g
Locality
Cleveland Mine, Austin group Cave-In-Rock Mining Sub-District Hardin County, Illinois, USA
Condition
No recorded repairs
This pretty miniature combo of Fluorite and Baryte comes from the 1980s Cleveland mine in Cave-In-Rock Mining Sub-District, Hardin County, Illinois, USA. Worked partly by opencast, the site has now been backfilled by quarry workings. A major feature of Fluorite specimens from this mine are their extremely dark purple colour which is well displayed in this miniature-sized piece from Arvid Pasto's famous Fluorite collection. Upon it, three main cubic Fluorite crystals are grouped together with two grown alongside each other in parallel and another sloping away in front. The two largest crystals reach 1.1 cm on edge, but look much larger as they join in the middle. Small cream-coloured cockscomb Baryte crystal groups form the base of the specimen upon which the darker coloured Fluorite crystals sit. The Fluorite crystals are in good condition, but there is a chipped corner on the upper display surface and one cleaved corner at the back of the larger crystal. However, in comparison to the few specimens we have seen from this mine the quality of these crystals is very good, and makes for an attractive, albeit small group.