Chalcopyrite with Pyrite

specimen number:
2102466

location:
Butte, Silver Bow Co., Montana, USA

description:
Semi lustrous golden crystals of chalcopyrite to 1.5 cm in size across the top of matrix with smaller but more lustrous pyrite crystals. Some damage present as seen, still in good hand specimen for this old classic.

The mining city of Butte, Montana, famously known as "The Richest Hill on Earth," has a rich industrial history dating back to its founding as a gold and silver camp in the late nineteenth century before evolving into one of the world's largest copper producers. Geologically, the district is dominated by the Late Cretaceous Butte Quartz Monzonite, a major intrusive phase of the Boulder Batholith. Extensive hydrothermal activity fractured this granitic rock, allowing mineral-rich fluids to deposit a complex, zoning network of vein systems. These veins are celebrated for producing prolific quantities of copper, zinc, manganese, and lead ores, along with an exceptional diversity of primary and secondary sulfide and sulfosalt minerals that remain prized by collectors worldwide.

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