Sphalerite with Quartz, Pyrite

specimen number:
2312335

location:
Krushev dol Mine, Madan, Smolyan, Bulgaria

description:
Attractive lustrous black twinned crystals of sphalerite on matrix with spiky colorless gemmy crystals of quartz and minor pyrite. In great condition all around.

The Krushev Dol mine, situated within the renowned Madan ore field in the Rhodope Mountains of southern Bulgaria, has a rich mining history dating back to ancient Thracian times in the fourth century BC, with extensive modern industrial development taking place through the twentieth century. Geologically, the deposit is part of a complex hydrothermal vein and replacement system hosted within high-grade metamorphic rocks and marbles, shaped by intensive Paleogene magmatic and tectonic activity. Mineralogically, the mine is world-famous for producing exceptional collector specimens, particularly lustrous galena, sphalerite (including notable cleophane varieties), chalcopyrite, and quartz, alongside a diverse array of associated sulfides and rare accessory minerals.

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