Copper

specimen number:
2063840

location:
Mountain City mine, Elko Co., Nevada, USA

description:
A loose beautifully crystallized grouping of native copper. This shows a good red patina. In good condition.

The Mountain City Mine, also known as the Rio Tinto Mine, is located in the Mountain City district of northern Elko County, Nevada, and stands as one of the most remarkable copper discoveries in North American mining history. Prospector E.F. Wighton discovered rich copper outcrop capping in 1932 during the Great Depression, leading to underground mining that exposed massive supergene enriched ore bodies beneath oxidized cap rocks. Geologically, the deposit formed within Paleozoic sedimentary host rocks that underwent intense regional faulting and hydrothermal mineralization, creating dense masses of high-grade copper sulfides including chalcopyrite, bornite, and chalcocite. Beyond its immense economic production for the Mountain City Copper Company through the 1930s and 1940s, the locality earned fame among collectors for producing exceptional specimens of rich metallic sulfides, brilliant iridescent bornite coatings, and secondary copper minerals such as malachite and azurite. Mineral collecting in the region focuses heavily on early specimen material recovered during the mine's peak operational era prior to its eventual shutdown.

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