Chalcopyrite

specimen number:
2062883

location:
Alice Mine, Clear Creek Co., Colorado, USA

description:
A loose grouping of large thick chalcopyrite crystals without matrix. Some damage present as seen. The specimen comes with a label from the collection of Ray DeMark.

The Alice Mine, located in the Fall River district of Clear Creek County, Colorado, sits within a rugged mountain setting characterized by Precambrian crystalline rocks intruded by Tertiary-age porphyritic bodies. The site became prominent in the late nineteenth century as a major center for early placer and hydraulic mining operations that targeted auriferous surface deposits, later transitioning to lode mining as prospectors pursued deeper veins. While initial surface extraction yielded notable free gold, subsequent underground operations struggled with complex, low-grade mineralogy that proved difficult to process profitably with contemporary technology. Ownership changed hands numerous times across several decades, seeing brief revivals through various leasing efforts and mid-century development companies before activity ultimately ceased, leaving the area as a historic ghost town and a destination for historical research.

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