Enargite

specimen number:
2063171

location:
Butte, Silver Bow Co., Montana, USA

description:
The top of this matrix is mostly covered with lustrous metallic black crystals of enargite to 0.4 cm in size. Minor quartz present. Some damage present, still in good quality reference example for this famous locality. The specimen comes with a previous label from the collection of Ray DeMark.

Geologically, the Butte district in Silver Bow County, Montana, is centered on the Butte Quartz Monzonite, a large intrusive rock body fractured by complex hydrothermal vein systems that deposited massive concentrations of metal sulfides. Prospecting began with 1864 placer gold discoveries along Silver Bow Creek, quickly transitioning into rich silver lode mining and later massive underground copper extraction to fuel global electrification. Known globally as the Richest Hill on Earth, the area supported thousands of miles of underground tunnels and prominent corporate empires before shifting largely to modern open-pit operations and mineral collecting.

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