Eskolaite in Chalcopyrite

specimen number:
2354273

location:
Outokumpu, North Karelia, Finland

description:
Metallic masses of eskolaite throughout a matrix of mostly massive chalcopyrite.

The Outokumpu mining district in North Karelia, Finland, is celebrated for its unique Paleoproterozoic ore deposits, where serpentinites, quartzites, and carbonate rocks underwent intense hydrothermal alteration and regional metamorphism. Mining in Outokumpu began following the discovery of a massive copper-bearing orebody in 1910, transforming the area into one of Europe's premier base-metal mining hubs for most of the twentieth century. During detailed mineralogical studies of these chromium-rich metamorphic rocks, researchers discovered eskolaite, a rare chromium oxide mineral named in honor of Finnish geologist Pentti Eskola. Known to collectors for its distinctive bright green to dark forest-green hexagonal crystals and metallic luster, eskolaite from the type locality at Outokumpu occurs in skarn assemblages alongside chromian tremolite, uvarovite garnet, and chromium-bearing diopside.

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