Zincite

The famous Franklin-Ogdensberg mining district exploited one of the world’s most species-rich and diverse orebodies, currently with a count of 271 minerals and the type locality to no less than 49 species, one of which is Zincite. Zincite is a rare zinc oxide (ZnO) and strictly speaking has co-type localities, although both are at opposite ends of the same syncline orebody, Franklin mine and Sterling mine. This tremendous example is one of crystallised Zincite, a rare occurrence at this mine because it usually forms as an anhedral granular infill in void space between grains of, typically, Franklinite and Calcite. Orange-carmine-red crystals to 1 cm across richly coat a flat plate of what is likely massive Franklinite covered in smears of snow-white Calcite. The base of this specimen is rich in more granular orange-red Zincite. In LWUV the Calcite fluoresces a dull flesh-pink and various patches of bright green Willemite manifest. A splendid Franklin crystallised Zincite.