Kinoite

specimen number:
1791244

location:
Laurium Mine, Houghton Co., Michigan, USA

description:
Light blue masses of kinoite on matrix with epidote. Good reference quality example for the species and locality.

The Laurium Mine in Houghton County, Michigan, is part of the historic copper mining district on the Keweenaw Peninsula that developed in the mid 19th century. Mining in the area focused on native copper deposits found in conglomerate and amygdaloidal basalt of the Portage Lake Lava Series. The town of Laurium grew alongside major operations such as the Calumet and Hecla Mine, and the district became one of the most productive copper regions in the world. Mining activity declined in the early 20th century as richer deposits were exhausted, leaving Laurium as part of the historic copper mining landscape.

Kinoite is a rare copper silicate mineral that forms in the oxidized zones of copper deposits, particularly in skarn environments.

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