Cuprite with Copper

specimen number:
2262060

location:
Bisbee, Cochise Co., Arizona, USA

description:
Bright lustrous deep red octahedral crystals of cuprite to 0.2 cm in size throughout a crystallized cluster of native copper. In good condition all around. Neat old classic from Arizona.

The Bisbee mining district, located in the Mule Mountains of Cochise County, Arizona, is a premier example of a porphyry copper deposit enriched by extensive secondary oxidation. Geologically, the ore bodies formed through the intrusion of the Jurassic-aged Sacramento Stock into Paleozoic sedimentary rocks, primarily the Escabrosa Limestone, creating a vast network of replacement and skarn deposits. The district is world-renowned for its exceptional cuprite, which occurs as deep red octahedral crystals and as the fibrous variety known as chalcotrichite, often found in association with native copper and brilliant green malachite. Historically, mining and quarrying at Bisbee began in the late 1870s following the discovery of the Copper Queen Mine, with the district becoming one of the most productive copper-producing regions in the United States. Large-scale industrial operations, including both underground and open-pit mining at the Lavender Pit, continued for nearly a century until primary production ceased in 1975. As of 2026, Bisbee remains a legendary locality for mineralogists and historians, preserved through its unique geology and its lasting legacy as one of the most prolific sources of secondary copper minerals in North America.

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