PORTAL POCKET ETCHED BARITE — LINWOOD MINE

PORTAL POCKET ETCHED BARITE — LINWOOD MINE.

This one looks like it was sculpted rather than grown. An extraordinary etched Barite from the Portal Pocket at the Linwood Mine, Buffalo, Scott County, Iowa, with some of the wildest natural architecture you could ask for.

The delicate golden coloration is beautiful, but it’s the extreme etching that makes this specimen so special. Layer upon layer of intricate dissolution patterns create an almost skeletal, otherworldly form, with openings straight through the crystal and incredible texture from top to bottom.

From every angle there’s something new to discover. A seriously unusual survivor from a legendary pocket—and a perfect example of nature turning a crystal into Earth’s art.

Baryte specimen.