Molybdenite

specimen number:
2354257

location:
Climax Mine, Lake Co., Colorado, USA

description:
Bright metallic masses of molybdenite quite rich across the top of a mostly massive quartz matrix. Good reference example for the species and locality.

The Climax Mine, located at Fremont Pass in Lake County, Colorado, is world-famous for its massive porphyry molybdenum deposit associated with multiple Tertiary granite-rhyolite intrusions into Precambrian igneous and metamorphic rocks. Staked initially by prospector Charles Senter in 1879 during the Leadville silver boom, the metallic gray vein material was only confirmed as molybdenite years later. Commercial production began in 1918 to support military demands during World War I, and over the course of the twentieth century, Climax expanded into one of the largest and most productive underground block-caving and open-pit mines in North America. In addition to vast industrial supplies of molybdenum, the site gained renown among mineral collectors for producing fine display specimens of fine-grained molybdenite, clear quartz crystals, fluorite, pyrite, hubnerite, and rare secondary species. Mining halted in 1995 due to low metal prices, but modern open-pit operations resumed in 2012, cementing the historic locality as an iconic fixture of Colorado mining heritage.

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