Copper with Epidote, Quartz

specimen number:
1791282

location:
Iron City Mine, Keweenaw Co., Michigan, USA

description:
Crystallized native copper along one edge of this matrix coated on one side with deep green crystallized epidote and sparkling colorless crystals of quartz. In good condition.

The Iron City Mine, originally established as the Empire Mine within the Mosquito District near Copper Harbor in Keweenaw County, Michigan, dates back to the early Keweenaw copper boom of the mid-nineteenth century, specifically organizing around 1853. Geologically, the site is situated within the Precambrian bedrock of the Midcontinent Rift system, where ancient basaltic lava flows and interbedded sedimentary layers were subjected to hydrothermal activity. Mineralogically, while initial operations targeted native copper within fissure veins, the location is best known among modern mineral collectors as a premier historical source for striking, multicolored datolite nodules featuring intricate porcelain-like textures and localized copper inclusions.

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