28g Smithsonite Specimen from B14, Broken Hill, Australia
$12.99
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28g Smithsonite Specimen from B14, Broken Hill, Australia
$12.99
*** All information about the metaphysical properties of the listings on this site is for reference only and is to be understood in this context. It is based on research of opinions and beliefs from different cultures today and throughout history and my own personal beliefs.The information is not to be taken as a replacement for a medical examination, diagnosis, or treatment. For medical advice, please consult a healthcare professional. ***
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This specimen weighs 28g and measures 3.5cm x 3cm x 2cm.
This Smithsonite specimen was sourced in the 1980’s from block 14, open cut, South Mine, Broken Hill New South Wales, Australia. The South Mine was established as The Broken Hill South Silver Mining Co Ltd in 1885 and covers the central area of the Broken Hill line of lode, approximately 4 km in length, with the boundaries defined by two roads that connect the main part of the city of Broken Hill with the south district. The South Mine took over the original leases held by BHP when they left in the 1940s and was officially closed in 1972.
Smithsonite specimens from the Block 14 Opencut (often abbreviated as B14) in Broken Hill, New South Wales, Australia, are famous among mineral collectors for showcasing an incredible diversity of crystal habits. While smithsonite globally is most recognized for its bubbly, globular, or "botryoidal" masses, the unique geochemical environment of the Broken Hill oxidized zone allowed it to crystallize into several distinct shapes.
The most prominent habits found at the Block 14 Opencut include:
Rice-grain habits: Tiny, elongated, and pointed rhombohedral crystals that resemble individual grains of rice clustered together.
Bulbous and rounded habits: Smooth, translucent, droplet-like or "lightbulb" shaped crystals that often cluster on top of dark matrices.
Dog-tooth scalenohedrons: Sharp, elongated crystals that mimic the classic "dog-tooth" calcite habit.
Curved rhombohedrons: Saddle-shaped or slightly warped rhombohedral crystals with a high pearly lustre.
These variations typically occur as colorless, white, or pale gray crystals, frequently resting in stark contrast against a dark, contrasting manganese oxide matrix.
Smithsonite:-
Smithsonite, also sometimes referred to as “Zinc Spar”, is a secondary mineral found in the rocks above and around many important zinc deposits. These smithsonite occurrences are often seen at the surface or at shallow depths. As a result, smithsonite was one of the earliest zinc minerals to be discovered and mined by pioneer metallurgists. Finding smithsonite at the surface has led to the discovery of a major zinc deposit below.
Smithsonite is almost never found as nice crystals. Botryoidal coatings on rocks and fractures are a common mode of occurrence. Smithsonite can be found in a variety of colors such as yellow, brown, purple, white, green, grey, and most notably, its turquoise-blue shade. This mineral was commonly mistaken for Hemimorphite or Calamine, until 1832 when F.S. Beaudant differentiated it. He named the mineral after the English mineralogist James Smithson, who first identified the crystal in 1802. This is the same James Smithson who was the founding donor of the Smithsonian Institution.