Provenite

Picher Field

AreaClosedDraft data

36.9833° N, 94.8333° W · ± 10 km

Galena from Oklahoma, United States, with photos of specimens from this locality.

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Minerals found here

Galena

Galena at Picher Field

Galena from the field that supplied over 90 percent of the Tri-State District ore after 1915

Sharp gray galena octahedra set on matrix with small black sphalerite crystals.
Sharp gray galena octahedra set on matrix with small black sphalerite crystals.
Photo: Robert M. Lavinsky · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source
Galena crystals to 3 cm on edge with brassy chalcopyrite.
Galena crystals to 3 cm on edge with brassy chalcopyrite.
Photo: Robert M. Lavinsky · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source
Two well-formed cuboctahedral galena crystals side by side on matrix, the larger 2.3 cm.
Two well-formed cuboctahedral galena crystals side by side on matrix, the larger 2.3 cm.
Photo: Robert M. Lavinsky · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source
Formula
PbS
Morphology
Octahedra, cubes and cuboctahedra
Typical size
Crystals to about 3 cm on edge on photographed specimens
Color / luster
Bright gray with a mirror-like metallic shine
Associated minerals
Sphaleritechalcopyritemarcasitecalcitedolomite
Availability
No longer available
History
Production peaked in 1926; the largest operator, Eagle-Picher, stopped production in 1967

Sources: SRC-347 SRC-348 SRC-349 SRC-350

About Galena →

Geology of the locality

Setting
Lead-zinc mining field in Ottawa County within the Tri-State District; galena and sphalerite are the main ores, in ore bodies described as stratiform.
Region
Oklahoma
Country
United States

Area-level coordinates taken from the Mindat page for the Picher mine; the field extends over several km. Most mines closed during the 1960s.

Sources: SRC-347 SRC-348 SRC-349

Sources

  1. SRC-347 · Database
    Picher mine, Ottawa County, Oklahoma, USAMindat.org contributors · Hudson Institute of Mineralogy (Mindat.org)
  2. SRC-348 · Website
    The Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture: Tri-State Mining District entryOklahoma Historical Society · Oklahoma Historical Society
  3. SRC-349 · Database
    Ritz Mine (Hum-Bah-Wah-Tah-Quapaw Allotment), Picher Field, Ottawa County, Oklahoma, USAMindat.org contributors · Hudson Institute of Mineralogy (Mindat.org)
  4. SRC-350 · Website
    Wikimedia Commons file pages Galena-119374.jpg, Galena-146898.jpg, Galena-66682.jpgRobert M. Lavinsky (photographer); dealer description · Wikimedia Commons

Draft data from the Provenite workbook. Check entries against the cited sources before relying on them. Photos are open-licence images from Wikimedia Commons; the author and licence are given with each photo.