Pyrite on Barite

specimen number:
8911194

location:
Rutyna's pocket, Lubin Mine, Lower Silesia, Poland

description:
The top of this matrix is covered with crystallized groupings of barite, some of them standing up more than 3.0 cm in height from the matrix. The entire pieces heavily dusted and bright glittering lustrous micro crystals of pyrite. The specimen comes with a previous label from the Alton collection. In good condition.

The Lubin Mine, located in Lower Silesia, Poland, is a world-class underground operation situated within the Fore-Sudetic Monocline. The economic mineralization is centered on the famous Permian-age Kupferschiefer horizon, a marine black shale stratum alongside adjacent sandstones and carbonates that host rich polymetallic copper and silver deposits. Primary ore minerals include chalcocite, bornite, chalcopyrite, and covellite, often accompanied by native silver and fine specimens of baryte, calcite, and various sulfide species. Geological exploration led by Jan Wyzykowski in March 1957 confirmed massive ore reserves, prompting construction of the Lubin mining facility in 1960. Commercial extraction officially commenced in 1968 under state operation, establishing Lubin as the oldest mine in the Polish Copper Belt operated by KGHM. Modern room-and-pillar mining continues across extensive underground workings, serving as a primary global source of copper and silver while occasionally yielding well-crystallized mineral specimens for collectors.

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