Galena

A sharp thumbnail specimen featuring a well-formed cubic galena crystal. The galena displays bright metallic lustre with cube faces covered in epitaxial galena overgrowths. Aesthetic and well-balanced, this is an excellent thumbnail from one of the classic lead-zinc mining districts of North America.

Picher, Oklahoma, established in 1913 and now a ghost town, was once a major hub for lead and zinc mining in the heart of the Tri-State Mining District. For over a century, the town played a critical role in national mineral production, particularly for these essential industrial metals. However, decades of unrestricted subsurface excavation left most buildings dangerously undermined and surrounded by vast piles of toxic, metal-contaminated mine tailings, known as chat.

*specimen was originally incorrectly labeled as Naica, Mexico.