Calcite with Quartz

specimen number:
2312096

location:
Droujba mine, Laki, Plovdiv, Bulgaria

description:
Colorless rhombohedral crystals of calcite to 1.7 cm in size across the top of a crystallized quartz matrix. In great condition. Brightly fluorescent red under longwave ultraviolet light.

The Droujba Mine, located in the Laki ore district of the Plovdiv Province in southern Bulgaria, is part of the major polymetallic metallogenic province of the Central Rhodope Mountains. Historically, modern commercial mining operations developed during the twentieth century to extract lead, zinc, and other base metals from the region. Geologically, the deposit is situated within complex metamorphic basement rocks, primarily gneisses and marbles, that were intruded and affected by Oligocene magmatic activity and hydrothermal fluid circulation. These mineralizing solutions filled structural faults and replaced carbonate layers, creating vein and metasomatic ore bodies. The underground workings are well known among mineral collectors for producing fine crystal specimens, particularly combinations of calcite, quartz, and various sulfides.

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