Cubanite with Calcite

specimen number:
9302324

location:
Chibougamau, Nord-du-Quebec, Quebec, Canada

description:

Choice golden crystals of lustrous metallic cubanite measuring to 0.5 cm in size on matrix. In good condition and quite nice for the species.

The Chibougamau mining district, located in central Quebec, Canada, is a metal-producing region centered on the Archean Abitibi greenstone belt. Geologically, the deposits consist of copper-gold structural vein systems hosted within the igneous rocks of the Chibougamau Anorthosite Complex, as well as volcanogenic massive sulfide mineralization. Mineral discoveries date back to 1903, but production only began at scale in 1953 following the completion of regional rail and road infrastructure. Multiple underground operations, including the Campbell Chibougamau and Copper Rand mines, extracted millions of tons of ore until declining reserves led to the closure of the primary operations by 2008.

Cubanite is a copper iron sulfide mineral that crystallizes in the orthorhombic system. Geologically, it occurs primarily in high-temperature hydrothermal veins and contact metamorphic deposits, typically forming through exsolution within chalcopyrite and pyrrhotite matrices during ore cooling. The mineral is characterized by its brass-yellow to bronze coloration, metallic luster, and mild magnetic properties, occasionally forming well-defined elongated or twinned crystals within specific copper-rich ore zones.

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