Molybdenite with Powellite, Quartz

specimen number:
2062157

location:
Michigan Gold Mine, Marquette Co., Michigan, USA

description:
Bright lustrous metallic crystalline molybdenite in quartz with powellite. Collected in 1999. Good locality example for the species.

The Michigan Gold Mine, located in the Ishpeming Gold District of Marquette County, Michigan, was the most significant gold producer in the state. Geologically, the deposit consists of gold-bearing quartz veins hosted within the Paleoproterozoic-aged Negaunee Iron Formation and associated diorite sills. The mineralization occurred as native gold and auriferous pyrite within fractures that formed during the late stages of the Penokean Orogeny. Historically, the mine was discovered in 1887 and began major operations shortly thereafter, continuing as a primary producer until 1897. During this peak period, it yielded several thousand ounces of gold and was equipped with a substantial stamp mill and processing facility. The mine saw brief periods of renewed exploration and small-scale production in the 1930s as economic conditions changed, but it never regained its former output. Today, the site remains a historic landmark of the Upper Peninsula mining boom, with the surrounding area still studied for its unique hydrothermal mineral associations within the larger iron range.

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