Description
Gaskins Mine, (Medeker Pit), Empire Sub-District, Pope County, Illinois, USA
Barite from the Gaskin mine, Pope County, Illinois is a rare find today. Mined in the 1960s and 1970s, the Gaskins mine was a shaft mined mostly for fluorite. It also produced beautiful and complex barites and this is a showy example. Thick rectangles of transparent yellow barite are partially included with a white substance. The crystals are intergrown and many of the edges have crystal splitting with resulting complex subparallel terminations. The piece has a fantastic shining luster and the front face is without damage. The bottom of the piece is off of the rock and areas on the lower back appear to have some cleaves, but the top, showy crystals are undamaged. A sizable example of a historic and unusual barite formation.
6.20 x 8.00 x 3.50 cm
