Chalcocite: Flambeau Mine, Ladysmith, Rusk Co., Wisconsin, USA

Description

Species: Chalcocite

Locality:Flambeau Mine, Ladysmith, Ladysmith-Rhinelander Metavolcanic Complex, Rusk Co., Wisconsin, USA

Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.5 x 3.5 cm.

SOLD

A superb Flambeau mine chalcocite specimen from the “Drill Pocket”, discovered in the middle of winter during the 1995 Tucson Mineral Show. Casey Jones and his wife Jane, who had the contract with Kennecott Copper to collect specimens from the mine, were in Tucson at the time and were unable to collect the pocket, and the drill operator (whose drill rig has accidentally punched into the pocket, hence the name) along with a geologist hastily spent several hours collecting specimens before the zone was mucked out with a huge loader and destroyed forever as part of the mining process. Casey believed this pocket contained some of ‘the finest chalcocites in the world’, and told me if it had been collected properly, the specimens would truly set the world standard for chalcocite. This has always been my favorite pocket from the Flambeau mine, and I am always in search of pieces from this find, though they are rare. This piece was part of an important mineral collection in Upper Michigan and features sharp, psuedo-hexagonal twinned crystals to 2.5 cm wide which basically completely cover the specimen. Damage is very minimal which was an exception rather than the rule for this pocket unfortunately. A superb example of a true American mineral classic. Annette Slade photo.