Sphalerite with Chalcopyrite

specimen number:
2062867

location:
Ballard Mine, Tri-State District, Cherokee Co., Kansas, USA

description:
Choice classic example with a grouping of lustrous black sphalerite crystals 3.5 cm across set nicely up on a breccia matrix. Tiny crystals of golden chalcopyrite are scattered throughout. Some cleaving present along one edge as seen in the video, still in good condition. The specimen comes with a previous label from the collection of Ray DeMark.

The geology of the Ballard Mine area in Cherokee County, Kansas, part of the famed Tri-State District, is characterized by Mississippian-age limestones and cherts that host extensive Mississippi Valley-type ore deposits containing sulfide mineralization within fractures, breccia zones, and solution cavities. Mining and collecting history in this region dates back to the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, when underground extraction focused heavily on high-grade metal ores. The Ballard Mine specifically contributed to this peak production era, notably operating underground shafts into the mid-twentieth century to supply vital wartime resources, while the dumps and underground workings later became well-known historical sites for industrial heritage and mineral specimen collecting before operations permanently ceased across the district.

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