Pyrolusite

specimen number:
2062267

location:
Taylor Mine, Baraga Co., Michigan, USA

description:
Lustrous needlelike crystals of pyrolusite to 1.5 cm in size on matrix. Classic locality for the species, in good condition. Collected in 1996.

The Taylor mine, located near L'Anse in Baraga County, Michigan, is a historic underground iron operation situated at the western end of the Marquette Iron Range. Geologically, the deposit occurs within the Paleoproterozoic Negaunee Iron Formation, where complex regional folding and faulting created channels for hydrothermal fluids to concentrate primary iron minerals. These fluids leached silica from the banded iron formation, leaving behind localized pockets of high-grade soft hematite ore and goethite within the localized rock strata. The property was first opened in 1880 by the Taylor Iron Company, which developed a multi-level underground shaft system and a small surface open pit to exploit the deposit. Production was highly sporadic due to fluctuating ore quality and frequent changes in lease management, yielding a total of around thirty thousand tons of ore before poor economic conditions forced the permanent closure of all mining operations at the site in 1883.

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