Quartz with Sphalerite

specimen number:
2312065

location:
Borieva Mine, Madan, Smolyon, Bulgaria

description:
Lustrous gemmy colorless crystals of quartz to 6.0 cm in height coming off matrix and associated with lustrous black crystals of sphalerite. This is in terrific condition as seen.

The Borieva Mine, located within the Madan ore field of the Rhodope Mountains in southern Bulgaria, is part of a historic mining district with roots dating back to ancient Thracian and Roman times. Geologically, the deposit is situated in a metamorphic core complex where Paleogene extensional magmatism drove hydrothermal activity. Hot, metal-bearing fluids circulated through tectonic structures and deposited rich polymetallic ores primarily as vein and replacement bodies hosted in crystalline marbles and gneisses. Modern industrial extraction developed significantly during the twentieth century to supply lead and zinc. Today, the underground workings of the Borieva Mine are world-famous among mineral collectors for yielding exceptionally aesthetic and well-crystallized specimens of galena, sphalerite, pyrite, chalcopyrite, quartz, and calcite.

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