FMF - Friends of Minerals Forum, discussion and message board

[Tobi]

A very beautiful specimen, Carles, and with an interesting paragenesis. Very fine!

Tobi

[James]

Very nice Carles.

[Don Lum]

Beautiful specimen, Carles. Congratulations.

Don

[Carles Millan]

To Tobi, James and Don

Thanks a lot for your kind comments. I'm very glad you like the pyrite.

[Tobi]

[Carles Millan]

[Don Lum]

Great video of a remarkable specimen which belongs in one of the finest collections.

Don

[Carles Millan]

Copper

This specimen is a chain of three-dimensional and untwinned quasi octahedral {111}, reddish brown color, copper crystals stacked one on top of another. The crystals show very well defined faces and edges, which is somewhat unusual with this species. There also is a natural deep black oxidation patina on the lateral and back sides that I think might be tenorite (CuO) rather than cuprite.
Field collected in year 2009.
Overall size: 63 mm x 10 mm. Major crystal size: 8.5 mm wide.
Weight: About 13 g.

Itauz Mine, Zhilandy group, Karagandy Province, Kazakhstan.

Unless otherwise noted, photos are copyright © Carles Millan. Reproduction allowed as long as the author's name is cited and the image not modified (if it is not too much to ask...). Creative Commons Attribution Licence - Some Rights Reserved.

My Personal Site

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1119M-copper1.jpg
Mineral:	Copper
Locality:	Itauz Mine, Dzhezkazgan, Karagandy Province, Kazakhstan
Dimensions:	63 mm x 10 mm - Largest crystal size: 8.5 mm
Description:
Viewed:	11802 Time(s)

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1119M-copper3.jpg
Mineral:	Copper
Locality:	Itauz Mine, Dzhezkazgan, Karagandy Province, Kazakhstan
Dimensions:	63 mm x 10 mm - Largest crystal size: 8.5 mm
Description:
Viewed:	11694 Time(s)

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1119M-copper2.jpg
Mineral:	Copper
Locality:	Itauz Mine, Dzhezkazgan, Karagandy Province, Kazakhstan
Dimensions:	63 mm x 10 mm - Largest crystal size: 8.5 mm
Description:
Viewed:	11703 Time(s)

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1119M-copper4.jpg
Mineral:	Copper
Locality:	Itauz Mine, Dzhezkazgan, Karagandy Province, Kazakhstan
Dimensions:	63 mm x 10 mm - Largest crystal size: 8.5 mm
Description:
Viewed:	11720 Time(s)

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[crosstimber]

Very fine copper, Carles.

[Tobi]

Indeed a very (!) good sample of copper with remarkably well defined crystals, the colour change makes it even more attractive. Usually I don't like native copper specimens, but this one is an eyecatcher, good choice.

[Carles Millan]

[Carles Millan]

[Don Lum]

Carles, I echo what Tobi and Michael have said. A very nice native copper specimen.

Don

[Carles Millan]

[Carles Millan]

Tetrahedrite, pyrite, quartz, sphalerite

A sharp and well defined tetrahedrite tetrahedron {111} sitting on top of two lustrous and finely striated cubic {100} pyrite crystals, accompanied with a lot of colorless quartz and several sphalerite crystals here and there. Both pyrite crystals show a face along an edge that probably belongs to the pyritohedron habit {210}. Overall size: 77 mm x 71 mm x 54 mm. Tetrahedrite crystal: 24 mm on edge. Major pyrite crystal: 26 mm on edge. Weight: 273 g.

Actually a member of the series tennantite-tetrahedrite. So it might be from a Sb-rich tennantite to an As-rich tetrahedrite, somewhere between.

This specimen was involved in at least five generations. It is evident that the pyrite crystals were the first to grow. Then came the sphalerite and next the tetrahedrite, since a small crystal of the latter is placed on a crystal of the former. Finally the quartz grew over all of them. But still a fifth generation had to take place because about a dozen small pyrite cubes can be seen perched on the quartz crystals.

Mundo Nuevo mining area, Mundo Nuevo, Huamachuco, Sánchez Carrión Province, La Libertad Department, Peru.

Unless otherwise noted, photos are copyright © Carles Millan. Reproduction allowed as long as the author's name is cited and the image not modified (if it is not too much to ask...). Creative Commons Attribution Licence - Some Rights Reserved.

My Personal Site

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2276M-tetrahedrite1.jpg
Mineral:	Tetrahedrite, Pyrite, Quartz, Sphalerite
Locality:	Mundo Nuevo mining area, Mundo Nuevo, Huamachuco, Sánchez Carrión Province, La Libertad Department, Peru
Dimensions:	77 mm x 71 mm x 54 mm. Tetrahedrite crystal: 24 mm on edge. Major pyrite crystal: 26 mm on edge
Description:
Viewed:	11375 Time(s)

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2276M-tetrahedrite2.jpg
Mineral:	Tetrahedrite, Pyrite, Quartz, Sphalerite
Locality:	Mundo Nuevo mining area, Mundo Nuevo, Huamachuco, Sánchez Carrión Province, La Libertad Department, Peru
Dimensions:	77 mm x 71 mm x 54 mm. Tetrahedrite crystal: 24 mm on edge. Major pyrite crystal: 26 mm on edge
Description:
Viewed:	11189 Time(s)

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2276M-tetrahedrite3.jpg
Mineral:	Tetrahedrite, Pyrite, Quartz, Sphalerite
Locality:	Mundo Nuevo mining area, Mundo Nuevo, Huamachuco, Sánchez Carrión Province, La Libertad Department, Peru
Dimensions:	77 mm x 71 mm x 54 mm. Tetrahedrite crystal: 24 mm on edge. Major pyrite crystal: 26 mm on edge
Description:	Close-up view
Viewed:	11195 Time(s)

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[VRigatti]

Wonderful!

[Enrique Llorens]

Nice paragenesis.

[Carles Millan]

Ferberite, quartz

Tabular black ferberite crystals associated with each other like pages in a half open book, with several white quartz crystals at the bottom. Overall size: 63 mm x 54 mm x 28 mm. Major ferberite crystal: 41 mm wide. Weight: 233 g.

Yaogangxian Mine, Yizhang, Chenzhou Prefecture, Hunan Province, China.

Unless otherwise noted, photos are copyright © Carles Millan. Reproduction allowed as long as the author's name is cited and the image not modified (if it is not too much to ask...). Creative Commons Attribution Licence - Some Rights Reserved.

[Tobi]

[Carles Millan]

This early morning this topic has reached the magic number of 500,000 views. I think a half million is a lot for a mere medium quality collection, so I feel a must to send a big thank you to all of you who have spent your valuable leisure time browsing my pages. And especially to Jordi Fabre for making it possible. I hope more photos will come in in the not distant future.