Pyrite after Pyrrhotite with Quartz

specimen number:
2312415

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

description:

Sharp crystals of what were once pyrrhotite measuring to 2.8 cm in size, these now replaced by sparkling golden crystallized pyrite and set up on a quartz crystal matrix with sphalerite. In good condition.

The Mogilata deposit, accessed via the Septemvri Mine within the Madan ore field of the Smolyan province in southern Bulgaria, is situated in the central Rhodope Mountains. Its geology is defined by Paleogene hydrothermal vein and carbonate-replacement systems cutting through a metamorphic basement of Precambrian to Paleozoic gneisses, schists, and marbles. Mineralization formed from meteoric-hydrothermal fluids driven by Oligocene magmatic activity, producing significant deposits of lead and zinc. Mining in the broader Madan region dates back to ancient times, with organized extraction expanding significantly during the mid-twentieth century. The deposit is well known among mineral collectors for yielding crystal specimens of galena, sphalerite, pyrite, quartz, and carbonate gangue minerals.

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