Chalcopyrite with Calcite

specimen number:
2063584

location:
Concepcion del Oro, Zacatecas, Mexico

description:
A colorless opaque white scalenohedral crystal of calcite, this hosting many dark crystals of chalcopyrite measuring to 1.1 cm in size across its faces. Slight damage present to some of the chalcopyrite crystals. Shows nicely all around. The specimen comes with a previous label from the collection of Ray DeMark.

Located in the northern part of Zacatecas, Mexico, Concepcion del Oro is a historic mining district famous for its intricate skarn and hydrothermal replacement deposits formed where Cretaceous limestone was intruded by Tertiary granodiorite bodies. Silver and gold mining began in the late sixteenth century under Spanish colonial rule, later expanding into large-scale extraction of copper, lead, and zinc during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Contact metamorphism between the intrusions and carbonate country rocks created rich ore zones and lined cavities with a wide array of well-crystallized secondary minerals. The district gained renown among mineral collectors for producing outstanding specimens of copper minerals, grossular garnet, vesuvianite, and brilliant green adamite. Although commercial operations historically prioritized base and precious metals, active mining and specimen collecting over centuries have established the locality as a classic Mexican mineral site.

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