The Clear Creek mine, San Benito County, California: A unique mercury locality

Abstract

From the first discovery in 1959 until the present, the abandoned Clear Creek mine has yielded an exceptional suite of rare and unusual mercury-bearing minerals unequaled in the world. Among those recently described as new are aurivilliusite, clearcreekite, deanesmithite, edgarbaileyite, edoylerite, hanawaltite, peterbaylissite, wattersite, szymańskiite, tedhadleyite and vasilyevite. In addition, seven new mercury-bearing species are currently under study. Other mercury-bearing minerals identified from the mineralized veins include montroydite, schuetteite, calomel, gianellaite, mosesite, terlinguaite, eglestonite, metacinnabar, cinnabar, native mercury and the second world occurrence of donharrisite. Show more