Hematite on Calcite with Chalcopyrite

specimen number:
9892001

location:
Pilot Knob Mine, Iron Co., Missouri, USA

description:
Excellent example for this famous old locality. Stacked scalenohedral crystals of calcite measuring to 4.0 cm in size in a cluster that is partially coated with red to brown crystalline hematite. Minimal cleaving present, this is in good condition as seen. Minor chalcopyrite present as well. Good specimens from this locality are rarely found on the market today.

The Pilot Knob mine, located in Iron County within the Saint Francois Mountains of southeast Missouri, is rooted in Mesoproterozoic volcanic geology. The area features two primary iron deposits: the surface Pilot Knob Hematite deposit, consisting of bedded and laminated specular hematite hosted in volcanic tuffs, and the deeper, concealed Pilot Knob Magnetite deposit. These deposits are part of the region's prominent iron oxide-apatite and volcanic-hosted systems. Mining history at the site began in 1835, focusing initially on the surface hematite ores capping the mountain, which supplied early local blast furnaces and later fed regional industrial growth via the Iron Mountain Railroad. After 19th-century surface operations waned, underground development of the concealed magnetite body commenced in 1967 and continued until final closure in 1980.

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