Copper with Quartz, Calcite, Tenorite

specimen number:
2062040

location:
Central Mine, Keweenaw Co., Michigan, USA

description:
Superb sharp crystals of native copper on a breccia matrix with minor calcite and quartz. There are some tenorite coating upon the native copper crystals. In super condition. A very fine miniature.

The Central Mine in Keweenaw County, Michigan, was one of the major copper mines on the Keweenaw Peninsula during the 19th century. Mining began in 1854 when rich deposits of native copper were discovered in amygdaloidal basalt flows of the Portage Lake Lava Series. The mine was operated by the Central Mining Company and became one of the most productive mines in the region during the 1860s and 1870s. Native copper commonly occurred with minerals such as calcite, quartz, and epidote in cavities within the volcanic rock. The mine eventually closed in 1898, and today the site is preserved as part of the Central Mine Historic District.

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