Algodonite, Domeykite

specimen number:
2262369

location:
Mohawk Mine, Keweenaw Co., Michigan, USA

description:
A large very heavy mass of what is known as Mohawkite, a mixture of mostly algodonite and domeykite. This has several saw cuts present.

The Mohawk Mine, located in Keweenaw County on the Keweenaw Peninsula of Michigan, was officially organized in November 1898 following initial copper discoveries. Commercial production and shipments of copper rock began in late 1902, and the operation ran successfully for several decades until it closed permanently in 1932. Geologically, the mine worked the Kearsarge amygdaloid lode, a major copper-bearing basalt flow within the Precambrian Keweenawan series, featuring native copper disseminated in volcanic rock alongside unique fissure veins.

The site is internationally famous among mineralogists for the discovery of "mohawkite," a rare copper-rich mineral aggregate first uncovered in the mine around 1900. Initially thought to be a single new species, mohawkite was later identified as a close mixture of arsenic-rich copper minerals such as algodonite and domeykite, often accompanied by nickel and silver. Found almost exclusively in the Mohawk and Ahmeek mining area, this distinct metallic material became a prized rarity for collectors.

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