Copper (Cu-0025)

specimen number:
9273176

location:
Itauz Mine, Zhilandy, Satpayev, Ulytau, Kazakhstan

description:

Attractive well crystallized native copper across the top of matrix. Aesthetically arranged and in super condition. Some of the crystals are sharply formed and measuring to 1.0 cm in size.

The Itauz mine, located in the Karaganda Region of central Kazakhstan, is a notable open-pit and underground copper mining operation situated within the prolific Dzhezkazgan mineral district. Geologically, the deposit is hosted within Carboniferous sedimentary sequences, characterized by thick beds of gray, mineralized sandstones interbedded with red siltstones and mudstones. The copper mineralization occurs as stratabound, sediment-hosted copper deposits where primary chalcocite, bornite, and chalcopyrite fill pore spaces and coat sedimentary grains, accompanied by oxidized secondary copper minerals near the surface. Large-scale development and open-pit stripping at the Itauz deposit began in the early 2000s under the management of the Kazakhmys corporation to exploit the near-surface oxide and sulfide reserves as part of the broader Dzhezkazgan metallurgical complex. Active commercial ore extraction expanded with the development of underground operations in the mid-2000s and continued dynamically through the 2010s and 2020s, remaining an integral feed source for regional copper processing facilities today.

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