Chalcopyrite with Dolomite

specimen number:
2262075

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

description:
Sharp lustrous iridescent crystals of chalcopyrite to 0.5 cm in size across the top of a light pink dolomite crystal matrix. Some damage present, the prominent crystals are in good condition.

The Picher Field, located within the Tri-State Mining District of Ottawa County, Oklahoma, and Cherokee County, Kansas, is a world-class Mississippi Valley-type (MVT) lead-zinc deposit. Geologically, the ore bodies are hosted in the Mississippian Boone Formation, where hydrothermal fluids replaced limestone and chert with massive sulfides, primarily galena and sphalerite, along with dolomite and calcite. Historically, mining and quarrying began in the early 1900s, with the 1914 discovery of the main ore body leading to a massive industrial boom that saw the region produce over twenty billion dollars worth of ore. Operations peaked during World War I and World War II, providing a significant portion of the lead and zinc used by the United States military, but production sharply declined in the 1960s, with the final major mines closing by 1970. As of 2026, the area is largely defined by its environmental legacy as part of the Tar Creek Superfund site, where vast piles of mining waste known as chat remains a testament to its prolific industrial past. The district remains a significant case study for both economic geology and the long-term impacts of large-scale extraction on local ecosystems and communities.

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