Sphalerite, Galena

This specimen features a large plate covered in aggregates of red-brown sphalerite crystals with reticulated silver flashes, intermixed with matte grey galena scattered across the matrix. It is an excellent example of the ore once extracted from this historic locality. This is an excellent museum-worthy cabinet sized specimen from a historic mine.

The Pine Point Mine was located on the southern shore of Great Slave Lake in Canada's Northwest Territories, discovered in the late 19th century by fur traders, who learned of the lead ores from the First Nations. A minor staking rush occurred in 1898, and major exploration work took place from 1928 to 1930, but it was halted by the Great Depression. Later, in 1955 extensive exploration had outlined several thousand tons of ore along a 20 km belt. The Government of Canada built the Great Slave Railway from Grimshaw, Alberta to the mine, and integrated into the Canadian National Railway. The mine produced lead and zinc ores between 1964 and 1988, primarily through open-pit methods. The town of Pine Point grew to nearly 2,000 residents before closing in 1988, leading to the town’s abandonment.

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