Galena with Sphalerite, Quartz

specimen number:
9302422

location:
Osikovo deposit, Septemvri Mine, Madan, Smolyan, Bulgaria

description:

A neat cluster of semi lustrous galena crystals, these flattened wins in forming a cluster with the giant hollowed out area in the center. Crystallized all about this are sparkling lustrous crystals of sphalerite measuring to 0.5 cm in size were a little larger. Minor quartz is present on the backside. In super condition all around. The specimen comes with several previous collection labels as shown at the end of the video. This is from the late 1990s.

The Osikovo deposit, associated with the Septemvri (or 9th of September) Mine within the Madan ore field of Smolyan Province, southern Bulgaria, is part of a premier Central Rhodope mining district with roots stretching back to antiquity. Geologically, the deposit is situated within the Central Rhodope Dome, where complex hydrothermal lead, zinc, and silver mineralizing fluids ascended through regional fault systems, replacing carbonate host rocks and forming subvertical veins and stockworks within metamorphic sequences. Mineralogically, the underground workings of the Septemvri Mine have become world-famous among collectors for yielding exceptional, museum-grade sulfide and associated specimens, most notably mirror-bright cubic or skeletal galena, sphalerite, pyrite, and chalcopyrite resting upon contrasting white quartz and carbonate matrices. Historically, while ancient Thracians and Romans initially worked the shallow oxidized zones for metals, modern industrial scale underground extraction expanded heavily during the twentieth century under state-backed operations, establishing Madan as one of Europe's most prolific sources of classic mineral specimens.

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