Mimetite (Type Locality!)

Item Description

Mining in Johanngeorgenstadt began during the 17th century and continued for centuries, serving as an important source of ore. It is here that mimetite was first identified in 1835 and received it's name, based on the Greek word for 'imitator' due to it's strong resemblance to pyromorphite. This locality is also the type locality of the monoclinic variant of mimetite - mimetite-M. While most major mining activity ceased at the locality in the early 1900s, some sporadic activity continued until the 1970s when it was permanently closed. This specimen is a strange example from the locality, that typically produced more yellow mimetite specimens. The tan/brown crystals on dark matrix make for an interesting specimen from this historic locality. ex Matt McGill collection