A single specimen of 2cm aragonite crystals growing on calcite was found in the Midway Pocket.
Aragonite on calcite, Midway pocket, 8cm.
Chris Tucker
Minerals
Specializing in minerals
from Montana
The North Home Mine, page 3
The minerals (to date)
Aragonite
A single specimen of 2cm
aragonite crystals growing on calcite was found in the Midway Pocket.
Aragonite on calcite, Midway pocket, 8cm.
Aurichalcite
Isolated tufts of aurichalcite microcrystals have
been recovered from the No. 2 shaft.
Colorless transparent willemite crystals on
aurichalcite, No. 2 shaft. 2mm wide.
Barite
Barite is the most abundant mineral in the mine and
frequently forms the majority of the ore body. The barite is coarsely
crystalline and commonly forms the matrix of many of the specimens. Often
the barite has been highly etched. The
Labor Day and Thanksgiving pockets produced a few specimens of a later growth of barite with vanadinite.
Barite with vanadinite, Labor Day pocket, 8cm.
Calcite
Colorless transparent calcite and milky white
calcite commonly form cavity linings. In places calcite has been found
covering many of the other minerals. In isolated occurrences secondary
minerals are found growing on calcite. Frequently colorless transparent
calcite crystals are found growing on the pinacoid of vanadinite crystals
forming striking specimens. Sharp colorless transparent rhombohedrons have
been found perched on chlorargyrite crystals from the No. 2 shaft. The
Midway pocket yielded several flats of white stalactite-like specimens.
Calcite on descloizite, No. 2 shaft. Calcite
is 3mm across.
Chlorargyrite
Thin films and patches of chlorargyrite are common
in the mine. Locally yellow-green crystals have been found. The
crystals generally exhibit both the cube and octahedron.
Chlorargyrite, No. 2 shaft. 2mm.
Calcite on chlorargyrite, No. 2 shaft. Chlorargyrite is 1mm across.
Cerussite
While only massive chunks and occasional
microcrystals of cerussite have been recovered from the mine, a rather
significant specimen is in the collection of the Montana Tech Mineral Museum.
The specimen was in the William Clark collection and was likely recovered during
mining operations around the turn of the century.
Cerussite, No. 3 shaft. 3mm long.
Cerussite, 15cm. Formerly in the William Clark collection, now in the
collection of the Montana Tech Mineral Museum.
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