Chalcocite

specimen number:
2063592

location:
Flambeau Mine, Rusk Co., Wisconsin, USA

description:
A grouping of non-lustrous chalcocite crystals, the largest measuring to 2.0 cm in size. In good condition. The specimen comes with a previous label from the collection of Ray DeMark. He personally collected the piece in October, 1996.

Located near Ladysmith in Rusk County, Wisconsin, the Flambeau Mine was a rich supergene-enriched volcanogenic massive sulfide deposit that formed in an ancient Proterozoic island arc environment over 1.8 billion years ago. Discovered in 1968, the deposit underwent a brief period of intensive open-pit mining by the Flambeau Mining Company between 1993 and 1997, extracting high-grade copper and gold ores from a near-surface secondary enrichment zone. Mineral collectors world-wide value the locality for producing extraordinary, museum-quality specimens of metallic iridescent chalcocite crystals displaying vibrant rainbow tarnishes, alongside fine sharp bornite, chalcopyrite, and native copper. After mining concluded in 1997, the pit was completely backfilled and reclaimed as a public park and nature trail area, bringing active collecting at the site to an end.

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