Provenite

Sweetwater Mine

MineActiveDraft data

37.3589° N, 91.1467° W · ± 1 km

Dolomite, Galena, Marcasite and Pyrite from Missouri, United States, with photos of specimens from this locality.

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Minerals found here

DolomiteGalenaMarcasitePyrite

On the same specimen

Same specimen Calcite with Marcasite

1 specimen photo(s) from this locality show marcasite with calcite together. The pairing comes from the photographer's file name and label, so the relationship between the two minerals is not specified.

Same specimen Chalcopyrite with Marcasite

1 specimen photo(s) from this locality show marcasite with chalcopyrite together. The pairing comes from the photographer's file name and label, so the relationship between the two minerals is not specified.

Same specimen Chalcopyrite with Pyrite

1 specimen photo(s) from this locality show pyrite with chalcopyrite together. The pairing comes from the photographer's file name and label, so the relationship between the two minerals is not specified.

Same specimen Dolomite with Pyrite

1 specimen photo(s) from this locality show pyrite with dolomite together. The pairing comes from the photographer's file name and label, so the relationship between the two minerals is not specified.

Dolomite at Sweetwater Mine

Modified galena cube about 3.9 cm with dolomite.
Modified galena cube about 3.9 cm with dolomite.
Photo: Robert M. Lavinsky · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source
Formula
CaMg(CO₃)₂
Associated minerals
Galena

Sources: SRC-511

About Dolomite →

Galena at Sweetwater Mine

Noted for sharp cubic galena crystals

Cluster of galena crystals from the Sweetwater Mine displayed on matrix.
Cluster of galena crystals from the Sweetwater Mine displayed on matrix.
Photo: Robert M. Lavinsky · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source
Galena specimen of about 7 cm with bright metallic luster, largest crystal 2.5 cm on the edge.
Galena specimen of about 7 cm with bright metallic luster, largest crystal 2.5 cm on the edge.
Photo: Robert M. Lavinsky · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source
Large galena cube of about 7 cm with shallow offsets on its faces and a little matrix.
Large galena cube of about 7 cm with shallow offsets on its faces and a little matrix.
Photo: Robert M. Lavinsky · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source
Formula
PbS
Morphology
Cubes and cube-octahedra
Typical size
Crystals up to several cm; the largest crystal on a photographed 7 cm specimen is 2.5 cm on the edge
Color / luster
Bright metallic luster
History
Operated by Ozark Lead Company from 1968, reopened by ASARCO in 1987 and taken over by the Doe Run Company in 1997

Sources: SRC-321 SRC-339 SRC-340

About Galena →

Marcasite at Sweetwater Mine

A golden calcite crystal on a plate of iridescent marcasite crystals from the Sweetwater Mine.
A golden calcite crystal on a plate of iridescent marcasite crystals from the Sweetwater Mine.
Photo: Robert M. Lavinsky · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source
Shrub-like matte grey marcasite clusters partly coated with chalcopyrite on limestone, Sweetwater Mine.
Shrub-like matte grey marcasite clusters partly coated with chalcopyrite on limestone, Sweetwater Mine.
Photo: Robert M. Lavinsky · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source
Formula
FeS₂
Morphology
Plates of crystals and shrub-like clusters
Color / luster
Iridescent golden plates, or matte grey clusters
Associated minerals
Calcitechalcopyrite

Sources: SRC-321 SRC-327

About Marcasite →

Pyrite at Sweetwater Mine

Pyrite occurs as a gangue mineral in the Viburnum Trend lead-zinc ores, in blocky step-faced crystals on dolomite or silicified limestone.

Plate of octahedral pyrite crystals with complex sub-faces from the Sweetwater Mine, Missouri.
Plate of octahedral pyrite crystals with complex sub-faces from the Sweetwater Mine, Missouri.
Photo: Robert M. Lavinsky · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source
Cluster of blocky, step-faced pyrite crystals on silicified limestone, Sweetwater Mine, Missouri.
Cluster of blocky, step-faced pyrite crystals on silicified limestone, Sweetwater Mine, Missouri.
Photo: Robert M. Lavinsky · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source
Compound pyrite crystals with small chalcopyrite crystals on dolomite, Sweetwater Mine, Missouri.
Compound pyrite crystals with small chalcopyrite crystals on dolomite, Sweetwater Mine, Missouri.
Photo: Robert M. Lavinsky · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source
Formula
FeS₂
Morphology
Blocky to octahedral crystals with stepped faces; compound crystals
Color / luster
Brassy, lustrous
Associated minerals
Galenasphaleritechalcopyritecalcitedolomitequartz
Surface features
Step-faced growth

Sources: SRC-405 SRC-321

About Pyrite →

Geology of the locality

Setting
Lead-zinc orebodies in the Bonneterre Formation of the Viburnum Trend
Type
Hydrothermal
Host rock
Bonneterre Formation
Region
Missouri
Country
United States

Also known as Milliken Mine. Coordinates from the Mindat locality page (DMS converted to decimal).

Sources: SRC-321

Sources

  1. SRC-321 · Database
    Sweetwater Mine, Ellington, Reynolds County, Missouri, USAMindat.org
  2. SRC-511 · Website
    File:Dolomite-Galena-4jb8-lc158a.jpg (Wikimedia Commons)Robert M. Lavinsky · Wikimedia Commons
  3. SRC-339 · Website
    Southeast Missouri Lead District (Lead Belt)Wikipedia contributors · Wikipedia
  4. SRC-340 · Website
    Wikimedia Commons file pages Galena-122877.jpg and Galena-130053.jpgRobert M. Lavinsky (photographer); dealer description · Wikimedia Commons
  5. SRC-327 · Website
    Wikimedia Commons file page: Marcasite-Calcite-60688.jpgRobert M. Lavinsky (photographer) · Wikimedia Commons
  6. SRC-405 · Website
    Pyrite photographs and file descriptions on Wikimedia CommonsRobert M. Lavinsky (photographer; file descriptions) · 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.