Calcite with Copper

specimen number:
2062340

location:
Quincy Mine, Houghton Co., Michigan, USA

description:

A grouping of scalenohedral glassy lustrous mostly gemmy calcite crystals, these hosting heavy inclusions of native copper. Attractive and in great condition, very choice thumbnail for this Michigan classic.

The Quincy mine, located in Hancock within Houghton County, Michigan, was a major underground copper mine situated along the Keweenaw Peninsula, nicknamed Old Reliable due to its long history of consistent dividend payments. Geologically, the deposit is hosted within the Keweenawan Portage Lake Volcanics, where native copper mineralization filled vesicles and fractures within vesicular basaltic flow-tops, known locally as amygdaloids, and interspersed conglomerate beds. Hydrothermal fluids migrating through the thick volcanic sequences precipitated elemental copper alongside quartz, calcite, and epidote. Organized corporate operations began in 1846, and the mine expanded to incredible depths, with Shaft Number 2 reaching a vertical depth of over nine thousand feet utilizing the world's largest steam-driven hoist. The Quincy Mining Company operated the site continuously through various economic cycles until declining ore grades and high operational costs forced the permanent cessation of primary production in 1945.

Hamel Mining and Minerals, located at 6451 W 84th Place in Los Angeles, California, was a notable mineral dealership operated by Dale Hamel during the mid-to-late twentieth century. The business specialized in acquiring and distributing mineral specimens, field-collecting gear, and lapidary materials to collectors, museums, and educational institutions worldwide. Rather than operating a commercial extraction site, the firm functioned as an active hub for the mineral hobbyist community, sourcing diverse geological specimens through targeted field expeditions, estate liquidations, and direct imports. Hamel Mining and Minerals maintained its retail and mail-order presence at the Los Angeles location for several decades, contributing consistently to the distribution of North American and international mineral specimens until the business eventually wound down operations near the end of the century.

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