Calcite

specimen number:
2102401

location:
Bisbee, Cochise Co., Arizona, USA

description:
Attractive grouping of lustrous translucent calcite crystals. Complete all around and in good condition.

The Warren mining district at Bisbee, located in the Mule Mountains of Cochise County, Arizona, was one of the most prolific metal-producing camps in American history, yielding billions of pounds of copper alongside significant gold, silver, lead, and zinc. Geologically, the district is centered on the Sacramento Hill porphyry copper stock, a Mesozoic-aged granodiorite intrusion that drove extensive hydrothermal circulation through Paleozoic carbonate sedimentary formations, most notably the Mississippian Escabrosa Limestone and the Devonian Martin Limestone. This process formed massive replacement bodies of copper-iron sulfides like chalcopyrite and bornite, while millions of years of subsequent supergene enrichment and deep oxidation transformed the upper zones into spectacular deposits of native copper, malachite, azurite, cuprite, and chrysocolla. Commercial mining began in earnest in 1880 following the discovery of the rich Copper Queen vein, sparking a major boom dominated by corporate giants like the Copper Queen Consolidated Mining Company and later the Phelps Dodge Corporation. Utilizing a massive network of underground mines, including the famous Lavender Pit open-pit operation which commenced in 1950, Bisbee remained an industrial powerhouse until falling ore grades and rising underground operational costs forced the permanent closure of all open-pit and underground mining operations in December 1975.

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