Cuprite (OXF-0003)

specimen number:
9273073

location:
Rubtsovsk Mine, Altai Krai, Russia

description:

A superb cluster of deep red lustrous sharp bright crystals. The largest crystals measure to 2.5 cm in size. This is crystallized completely all around with no points of attachment. An exceptional example for the species.

The Rubtsovskoe deposit, located near the city of Rubtsovsk in the southwestern Altai Krai region of Russia, is a highly celebrated polymetallic operation famous among mineralogists for producing magnificent crystal specimens of native copper and octahedral cuprite. Geologically, the deposit is situated within the prolific Rudny Altai metallogenic belt of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt, hosted within a volcano-tectonic depression composed of Middle to Upper Devonian-age rhyolitic porphyries, tuffs, and calcareous-argillaceous siltstones of the Davydov and Kamenevka formations. Hydrothermal activity along local synclinal structures generated exceptionally rich stratiform and vein-controlled primary base metal ores dominated by sphalerite, galena, and chalcopyrite, which subsequently underwent intense, deep supergene alteration to create a remarkably thick and well-developed near-surface oxidation zone. Historically, the deep deposit was discovered on June 27, 1970, through targeted structural exploratory drilling of a magnetic anomaly by the Rubtsovsk geological crew. Deep shaft construction commenced in 1976 but faced severe logistical suspensions following the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1993, leaving the underground infrastructure dormant until corporate reconstruction resumed under Siberia-Polymetals OJSC in 1998. Commercial extraction of high-grade copper, lead, and zinc ores officially began in 2001, and while regular industrial underground stoping operated continuously for nearly two decades until the exhaustion of primary reserves led to the flooding of the lowest levels, localized surface activities, exploration drilling, and specimen recovery from the historic dumps continue through 2026.

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