Chalcopyrite with Calcite

specimen number:
2242099

location:
Chimney Rock Quarry, Bridgewater, New Jersey, USA

description:
A choice example for the species and locality, botryoidal semi lustrous chalcopyrite on matrix. These are often referred to as blister copper. In great condition. Previously from the collection of William Butkowski and comes with his label and data card. The data card notes that the specimen was collected by Dick Mayor in 1991.

The Chimney Rock Quarry, located in Bridgewater within Somerset County, New Jersey, is a prominent trap rock operation situated in the Watchung Mountains. Geologically, the quarry excavates the Orange Mountain Basalt, a Triassic-Jurassic volcanic flow that is part of the Newark Basin's Central Atlantic Magmatic Province. The site is famous among mineralogists for its diverse secondary mineralization, most notably the occurrence of rare botryoidal chalcopyrite, which appears as rounded, grape-like clusters with a brilliant metallic luster and iridescent tarnish. These sulfides, along with various zeolites and native copper, formed from hydrothermal fluids circulating through the gas bubbles and fractures of the cooling basalt. Historically, mining and quarrying activities at the site began in the early 20th century to provide aggregate for regional road construction and urban development. The quarry has remained a consistent industrial producer for over a hundred years, with significant periods of operation spanning the 1920s through the present day.

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