Union Mine, Mežica, Slovenia
© Iris Collection Xinyue Ma
Group of Wulfenite crystals.
© Igor Dolinar
In 1995, the miner Zdenko Geršak from Mežica found a small vug in limestone with yellow tabular wulfenite crystals on bluish-grey calcite. The vug is located in the tectonically shattered zone at the entrance on the 10th level from the main transport shaft in the Union mining district. These specimens became so famous that they were depicted on ...
© A. Rečnik
Retired mine warden Jože Jehart - Pepi with his find from 1989 - the biggest known group of wulfenite crystals ever found in Mežica mines. Union mine, 11th horizon, found in pocket which yielded more then a tone of wulfenite crystals. Width of specimen is aprox. 40 cm, weight aprox 25 kg. Now in collection of Tourist mine and museum ...
© Igor Dolinar 2009
Thin formation of interconnected butterscotch-orange wulfenite crystals up to 12 mm. The back side is all wulfenite crystals too. See article in Min. Rec, March-April 1991: Famous Mineral Localities: The Mezica Mine, Slovenia, Yugoslavia. Overall size of mineral specimen: 6x5x1.5 cm. Size of individual crystals: 2-12 mm.
© 2002 John H. Betts
Thin formation of interconnected butterscotch-orange wulfenite crystals up to 5 mm. The back side is all wulfenite crystals too. See article in Min. Rec., March-April 1991: Famous Mineral Localities: The Mezica Mine, Slovenia, Yugoslavia. Overall size of mineral specimen: 7x5x2 cm. Size of individual crystals: 2-5 mm.
Orange thick-tabular wulfenite crystals from the 9th level of Union. Even on loose crystals from this locality we always find some limestone fragments. Find and collection A. Rečnik.
Group of Wulfenite crystals on Limestone matrix.
Nice Cerussite crystals on a Galena matrix. Field of view 10mm. Specimen and photo Leon Hupperichs.
© Leon Hupperichs
Descloizite appears practically throughout the whole ore deposit, but never in larger crystals. The most beautiful crystals are found between the 10th and 11th levels of the Union district, where they cover the surfaces of the tectonically shattered limestone in the form of black velvety coatings. The width of view is 10 mm. Find and collection A. ...
Fresh find from Union, 9.th level. Medium-sized hand for scale reference. Real colour... now in mining museum in Mežica. My hand & A. Rečnik photo.
© Janez Zavašnik
A freshly found wulfenite cluster with extremely deep butterscotch-colored crystals for the locality. Zoning is present, as well as a typical incomplete hemimorphic pyramidal crystal growth. The largest crystal on top is 1 cm and the whole specimen is almost 3 cm. This one was collected in the fault zone just below the 10th level.
© Tim J.M. Welting
Wulfenite crystals 5mm. My collection and photo.
Fine example of hemimorphic wulfenite crystals on limonite from the 12th level of Union. Smaller crystals are more perfectly developed than the larger. Find and collection A. Rečnik.
Closeup of a nice toenail of intergrown, butterscotch wulfenite tablets. There was some white calcite on the specimen but it's nicer for having that cleaned off with vinegar. Collected by Igor Dolinar.
© Tony Peterson
Rui Nunes specimen and photo. November 2010.
© Rui Nunes 2010
Descloizite crystals from the stope between the 10th and 11th levels of the Union district. The width of SEM micrograph is 660 μm.
Less typical but not uncommon for Union are thick prismatic and bipyramidal wulfenite crystals. Cluster of highly lustrous deep orange crystals on limonite from the 11th level of Union. Collection A. Rečnik.
Shiny yellow hemimorph pyramidal wulfenite crystals.
Wulfenite from Union mine, 9th level.
Union Mine, 11th level (453m.)
© Igor Dolinar 2010
Wulfenite up to 1 cm on Limestone. Coll. Vojko Pavčič Photo Martin Rich
© Martin Rich
This specimen consists of a cluster of butterscotch-coloured wulfenite crystals. Ex Ernie Davis collection, #1007.
© 2010 Eric C. Graff
Descloizite crystals from the stope between the 10th and 11th levels of the Union district. The width of SEM micrograph is 260 μm.
WULFENITE
© Quebul Fine Minerals
Limestone coated with Descloizite. Specimen ca. 30 cm width. Coll. Mining museum Mežica Photo Martin Rich
Well crystalized wulfenite specimen from the Union mine in the Mezica district. These wulfenites are a bit darker and are probably associated with some amorphic descloizite.
Specimen about 5 cm in diameter. Coll. Vojko Pavčič Photo Martin Rich
Wulfenite crystals to 3mm on Calcite crystals - August of 2011
© Photo & Collection of Martins da Pedra
Thin plate which consists of solid wulfenite, loaded with bright yellow pyramidal wulfenite crystals.
A plate partially consisting of intergrown wulfenite crystals and partially of limestone overgrown with lustrous wulfenite crystals. Collected from a pocket in the fault zone just below the 10th level.
Descloizite from Horizont 10; Chris Auer photo and collection, self collected in 2014
© AC
The crystals show some internal sandwich growth, indicating different growth phases.
© Tim JM Welting
Wulfenite cluster, 11/12th level, Union mine, Mezica, Slovenia. In my collection. Fresh orange tabular crystals with a second phase of fresh-yellow hemimorphic wulfenite growth on the tabs.
Wulfenite crystals up to 1 cm in situ. 9. level of the Union Mine. Photo Martin Rich, May 2013.
Bipyramidal Wulfenite on Limestone. Coll. Vojko Pavčič Photo Martin Rich
Wulfenites on friable limestone matrix, appears to be some manganese oxides on the front and some other interesting blebs on the back. This was collected by the Spirifer Team 2010. Photos and collection Stephanie Martin.
Cerussite crystals on corroded galena Field is 17mm large Zeiss luminar 63mm on bellows + nikon D5100. Combine Z Gift from Luc Waumans Photo & collection Chollet Pascal (# Ate)
© Chollet Pascal
Fine little wulfenite specimen from the 10th level of the Union mine. Collected in 2010. I like the zoning in the central crystal.
Coll. Vojko Pavčič Photo Martin Rich
Some Wulfenite specimen. Fov ca. 20 cm. In the 9. level, Union Mine. Photo Martin Rich
Found by Alexander Recnik on the 10th level of Union Mine. G. Kloibhofer Collection
© Rudo
Coll. & photo Martin Rich. Ex coll. Vojko Pavčič. Nikon D5100, Mikro-Nikkor 85 mm 1:3.5 SG. Camera remote with digiCamControl. Combine ZP (stack of 4 images - do stack).
Coll. Vojko Pavčič photo Martin Rich
Well crystalized wulfenite specimen from the Union mine in the Mezica district. These wulfenites are a bit darker and are probably associated with some amorphic descloizite. Specimen is 7 x 5 cm.
Wulfenite crystal to 3mm with some Calcite - August of 2011
Coll. & photo Martin Rich. Swap from the mineral museum Velenje. Nikon D5100, Mikro-Nikkor 85 mm 1:3.5 SG. Camera remote with digiCamControl. Combine ZP (stack of 7 images - do soft stack).
Very good small representative specimen from the Union Mine. Wulfenite is present on this specimen as sharp, tabular, orange-brown crystals to 1.2 cm across, on light colored matrix. Personal collection of Sharon Cisneros.
© Eugene & Sharon Cisneros
Small hand specimen but dense in crystal amount and weight, no matrix here! from Union Mine, Mežica, Slovenia. Label says Jugoslavia, so goes to show how old this pieces is! Purchased from ebay with other amazing pieces from the same seller.
© N.P. Harrison
A freshly opened wulfenite vug in one of the »foxholes« below the 10th level in Union. The crystals grown on the roof of the pocket are fresh, while those on the floor are covered by clayey layer, which inhibited their growth.
© L. Kunst
Descent down the stope just below the 10th level in Union towards the wulfenite localities. On the right turn, just below the main gallery, there are a few several-metres long »foxholes« excavated for wulfenite specimens along the fault. From here down to the 12th level the Union district produced tons of superb wulfenite specimens.
© J. Zavašnik
The main entrance to the Mežica mine is the Glančnik adit, which was built in 1885 at the 8th level (500 m). For more than a Century this adit was used for transportation of ore and miners. Today, this adit has a well-maintained mining railway, which still allows access to the mining districts Union and Moring. The mining museum »Peca ...
© P. Kuhar
Gerald Knobloch and me on the flooded Horizont 10 of the mine. Its great fun and highly recommended to take the guided tour! August 2014
No comment! 11. level, Union Mine. Photo Martin Rich, May 2013.
Alojz Lupša with the new specimen for the museum. 11. level, Union Mine. Photo Martin Rich, May 2013.
11. level, Union Mine. Photo Martin Rich, May 2013.
Mineral collectors are sometimes a little bit crazy. ;) 9. level, Union Mine. Photo Martin Rich, May 2013.
Fov about 1 m. 11. level, Union Mine. Photo Martin Rich, May 2013.
At the 11. level, Union Mine (there must be somewhere a refrigerator with some bottles of beer). ;) Photo Martin Rich, May 2013.
At the 11. level, Union Mine. Photo Martin Rich, May 2013.
Old, wooden mining ladder. 11. level, Union Mine. Photo Martin Rich, May 2013.