Chalcopyrite with Dolomite

specimen number:
2262032

location:
Picher Field, Tri-State District, Kansas-Oklahoma, USA

description:
Classic Midwest United States specimen was sharp tetrahedral crystals of chalcopyrite iridescent in measuring to 0.4 cm in size across the top of a pink crystallized dolomite matrix. Some damage present as seen, still nice and attractive.

The Picher Field, located in the Tri-State Mining District across Oklahoma and Kansas, was once the most productive lead and zinc mining area in the world. Geologically, it consists of Mississippi Valley-Type (MVT) deposits where metal-rich hydrothermal fluids replaced Mississippian-aged cherty limestones, particularly within the Boone Formation. The mineralization occurred primarily as massive replacements and breccia fillings, producing high-grade sphalerite and galena. Historically, significant mining began around 1913 after a major ore discovery near Picher, Oklahoma, and the field reached its peak production during the World Wars to meet the global demand for lead and zinc. Industrial operations continued for decades until the major mines closed in the late 1960s and early 1970s due to ore depletion and environmental concerns. Today, the area is part of the Tar Creek Superfund site, noted for the massive piles of waste rock known as chat that remain as a legacy of its intensive mining history.

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