Marcasite with Barite

specimen number:
2072169

location:
Lubin Mine, Lower Silesia, Poland

description:
An example showing banded marcasite and barite, this cut and polished on one face to show the interior. Classic material for this locality.

The Lubin mine, located in the Lower Silesian region of Poland, is a major component of the Legnica-Glogow Copper Belt, one of the largest copper and silver deposits in the world. Geologically, the mineralization is hosted within the Kupferschiefer, a thin layer of Upper Permian black shale, as well as the underlying sandstones and overlying carbonates. These Zechstein-aged deposits formed in a massive inland sea environment where metal-rich brines precipitated sulfides in reducing conditions. Historically, the Lubin mine was the first in the district to commence industrial operations, with construction beginning in 1960 and production starting in 1968 under the state-owned KGHM Polska Miedz. While primarily a source of copper ore, the region is also notable for Schalenblende, which is a specialized variety of zinc sulfide. Schalenblende is a colloform, concentric-banded mixture of sphalerite and wurtzite that often includes layers of galena and marcasite. It forms through the rapid precipitation of gels in low-temperature hydrothermal environments, resulting in distinctive, kidney-like or botryoidal structures that, when sliced and polished, reveal beautiful, alternating rhythmic bands of cream, brown, and metallic gray.

Questions about this specimen?
Send an email or call us: 314-341-1811.