Pyrite

specimen number:
2062879

location:
Leonard Mine, Butte, Montana, USA

description:
Brilliant lustrous golden crystals of pyrite to 1.0 cm in size across the top of a crystallized quartz matrix. Slight damage present as seen. Good old time specimen. The piece comes with a previous label from the collection of Ray DeMark.

The Leonard Mine in Butte, Montana, is situated within the rich Late Cretaceous quartz monzonite of the Boulder batholith, where extensive hydrothermal activity formed complex veins and fractured ore zones containing abundant copper minerals. Developed in the late 19th century and named after mining executive Leonard Lewisohn, the mine became a major underground producer of copper and associated metals during the height of the Butte mining district's industrial boom. Over the decades, it evolved into a prominent underground workings site celebrated historically for both its massive ore output and as a frequent destination for visiting dignitaries, before deep underground operations across the district permanently ceased.

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