Copper

specimen number:
1791292

location:
Keweenaw Peninsula, Michigan, USA

description:
Sharp crystals of native copper with little attached matrix. In good condition, an excellent miniature.

The copper mining history of the Keweenaw Peninsula and the broader Upper Peninsula of Michigan spans thousands of years, beginning with pre-Columbian indigenous mining and culminating in a massive industrial boom in the 19th and 20th centuries. Geologically, the region is defined by the Midcontinent Rift System, featuring a thick sequence of Keweenawan-age basaltic lava flows and interbedded sedimentary rocks. Unlike most global mining districts that extract copper oxides or sulfides, the central Keweenaw is globally unique for its vast deposits of exceptionally pure native copper housed within amygdaloidal basalt flows and conglomerates.

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