Sphalerite with Dolomite, Chalcopyrite

specimen number:
9862006

location:
Picher Field, Tri-State District, Kansas-Oklahoma, USA

description:
Sharp lustrous crystals of sphalerite measuring to almost 2.0 cm in size on a pink dolomite crystal covered matrix with chalcopyrite. In good condition, a very choice miniature of this classic material. The sphalerite crystals exhibit twinning.

The Picher Field, spanning northeastern Oklahoma and southeastern Kansas as part of the broader Tri-State lead and zinc mining district, experienced a rich history of extraction that began with major commercial mining around 1914 and peaked during World Wars I and II before operations declined and eventually ceased in the late 20th century. Geologically, the ore deposits are hosted within Mississippi-aged, chert-bearing carbonate rocks of the Boone Formation, where regional hydrothermal fluids deposited Mississippi Valley-type sulfide mineralizations, primarily sphalerite and galena, along fractured strata, collapse breccias, and karst solution cavities.

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