Calcite with Sphalerite (CAR-0009)

specimen number:
9273210

location:
Pachapaqui Mine, Bolognesi, Ancash, Peru

description:

Attractive pink crystal groupings of calcite to almost 3.0 cm in size very aesthetic across the top of a crystallized sphalerite matrix. In great condition. Incredibly fluorescent.

The Pachapaqui mining district, located in the Aquia District of Bolognesi Province, Ancash Department, Peru, is a notable polymetallic deposit renowned for fine mineral specimens of quartz, pyrite, sphalerite, galena, and rhodochrosite. Geologically, the area features a complex skarn and hydrothermal replacement deposit hosted within Cretaceous-aged sedimentary rocks, particularly the Chavin and Jumasha limestone formations. Intrusions of Tertiary granodiorite and quartz monzonite dikes drove intense hydrothermal activity, channeling metal-rich fluids through complex fault and fracture networks to form vein systems and mineralized pockets rich in lead, zinc, silver, and copper sulfides. Organized underground mining began on a small scale in the early twentieth century, expanding significantly in the 1960s and 1970s as corporate operators consolidated the district. Production peaks occurred under companies like Compania Minera Pachapaqui S.A., which operated a flotation plant processing hundreds of tons of ore daily through the late 1900s and early 2000s, with various sectors of the mine undergoing intermittent operation and ownership transitions into the twenty-first century.

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