Brown Calcite from Lavrion, Greece

This calcite specimen comes from the historic Lavrion mining district in Attica, Greece. Numerous small brown calcite crystals cover several areas of a natural rock matrix.

The crystals show a predominantly scalenohedral habit and reach sizes of up to approximately 5 mm. They are densely intergrown into small groups and broad crystal coatings. Their brown color ranges locally from light brown to dark brown. The surfaces appear matte to slightly lustrous.

Measuring 8.0 × 6.5 × 3.0 cm, the piece belongs to the cabinet specimen size category.

Calcite from the Historic Lavrion Mining District

Lavrion is one of Greece’s most important historic mining regions. The district includes numerous former mines and slag localities where argentiferous lead ores and other metal ores were extracted over a long period.

Calcite has been documented from many localities within the Lavrion district. It occurs there as a vein and cavity mineral together with various ore minerals and secondary minerals. Since no more precise mine attribution is available for this specimen, the broader Lavrion mining district is given as the locality.

The scalenohedral crystals, brown coloration, and provenance from this historic mining region make the specimen a characteristic calcite example from Lavrion.