Chalcopyrite with Quartz, Sphalerite, Linarite

specimen number:
2063496

location:
Bandora Mine, San Juan Co., Colorado, USA

description:
Semi lustrous dark golden twinned crystals of chalcopyrite measuring to almost 2.0 cm in size across the top of matrix with colorless gemmy crystals of quartz to 2.8 cm in length. There are some damage quartz crystals present across the top of the matrix. Minor sphalerite and blue micro crystalline linarite are present as well. The specimen comes with a previous label from the collection of Ray DeMark.

Located in the South Fork Mineral Point area near Silverton in San Juan County, Colorado, the Bandora Mine explores rich polymetallic vein deposits hosted within Precambrian metamorphic basement rocks and Tertiary volcanic structures of the San Juan Mountains. Active from the late nineteenth century through mid-twentieth century operations, the mine produced notable gold, silver, lead, and zinc ore. The ore hydrothermal quartz veins feature sharp, brilliant brass-yellow tetrahedral crystals of chalcopyrite, a copper iron sulfide mineral that often forms attractive groups alongside tetrahedrite, pyrite, galena, and fluorite. These lustrous chalcopyrite specimens became highly sought after by mineral collectors and museum curators, making the Bandora Mine a celebrated historic underground locality for fine Colorado minerals.

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