Pyrite with Sphalerite

specimen number:
2072222

location:
Huanzala Mine, Bolognesi, Ancash, Peru

description:
Sharp golden lustrous cubic crystals of pyrite in a cluster with lustrous black crystallized sphalerite. In good condition.

The Huanzala Mine, located in the Huallanca District of the Dos de Mayo Province in Ancash, Peru, is a world-renowned lead-zinc-copper-silver deposit situated in the high Andes. Geologically, it is a complex skarn and replacement deposit hosted within the Lower Cretaceous Santa and Carhuaz Formations, where mineralizing fluids associated with Miocene intrusions replaced carbonate rocks with massive sulfides. The mine is mineralogically famous for producing some of the world's finest pyrite specimens, characterized by high-luster octahedral, pyritohedral, and cubic crystals, as well as exceptional groups of pink fluorite and sharp sphalerite. Historically, while the district had a long tradition of small-scale mining, industrial operations began in earnest in 1968 under the management of the Santa Luisa Mining Company, a subsidiary of Mitsui Mining and Smelting. The mine has remained in continuous operation for over five decades, establishing itself as a premier Peruvian locality for both industrial metal production and high-quality mineral specimens for the international market.

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