Covellite

specimen number:
2063697

location:
Summitville, Rio Grande Co., Colorado, USA

description:

Superb thumbnail for this famous locality, dark bluish purple somewhat iridescent thin platy crystals of covellite forming a matrix less cluster. Typical of these slight micro-damage present, this one though is in very good condition.

Located in the San Juan Mountains of Rio Grande County, Colorado, the Summitville mining district sits within an ancient volcanic caldera system where intense hydrothermal activity deposited abundant gold and copper ores. Discovered during the late nineteenth century gold rush, Summitville became a major mining hub, producing significant metals while also earning fame among mineral collectors for yielding some of the finest known specimens of covellite. Covellite, an iron-free copper mineral prized for its deep indigo-blue color and iridescence, formed here in high-sulfidation epithermal veins as hot, acid-rich fluids altered the surrounding volcanic rock. Mining operations at Summitville ultimately ceased in the late twentieth century due to environmental concerns, making classic Summitville covellite specimens highly sought after by mineral collectors today.

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