Calcite with Sphalerite, Galena

specimen number:
2312100

location:
Mogilata deposit, Septemvri Mine, Madan, Smolyan, Bulgaria

description:
Colorless crystals of calcite to 1.0 cm in size across a lustrous sphalerite crystal matrix. Minor galena present as well. In great condition all around.

The Mogilata deposit, part of the Septemvri Mine within the Madan ore field in Smolyan Province, Bulgaria, is an underground lead-zinc mining operation with a long history rooted in the rich metallogenic province of the Central Rhodope Mountains. Mining activity in the Madan region dates back to antiquity, with ancient Thracian and Roman workings, followed by modern industrial exploitation established during the twentieth century. Geologically, the deposit is situated within metamorphic host rocks cut by hydrothermal vein systems and skarn bodies associated with Tertiary magmatic activity. The ore-bearing structures consist primarily of quartz, galena, and sphalerite, and the underground stopes are well known to mineral collectors for producing fine crystallized specimens of galena, sphalerite, quartz, and various carbonates.

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