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1.45" Iridescent Chalcocite Crystal Cluster - Flambeau Mine, Wisconsin
This is a 1.45" tall cluster of iridescent chalcocite crystals, collected from Flambeau Mine in Wisconsin. It has been mounted to an acrylic display base with mineral tack.
About Chalcocite
Chalcocite is a copper sulfide mineral (Cu₂S) prized for its metallic luster, striking lead-gray to silvery coloration, and exceptionally high copper content. It typically forms in massive, granular, or compact habits, though well-defined pseudohexagonal crystals can occur in exceptional deposits. Fresh chalcocite surfaces display a brilliant metallic sheen, while older specimens may show iridescent blues and purples due to natural tarnish. As one of the most important secondary copper minerals, chalcocite commonly develops in the enriched zones of copper ore bodies through supergene processes, replacing earlier sulfides such as chalcopyrite or bornite.
Chalcocite is a copper sulfide mineral (Cu₂S) prized for its metallic luster, striking lead-gray to silvery coloration, and exceptionally high copper content. It typically forms in massive, granular, or compact habits, though well-defined pseudohexagonal crystals can occur in exceptional deposits. Fresh chalcocite surfaces display a brilliant metallic sheen, while older specimens may show iridescent blues and purples due to natural tarnish. As one of the most important secondary copper minerals, chalcocite commonly develops in the enriched zones of copper ore bodies through supergene processes, replacing earlier sulfides such as chalcopyrite or bornite.
The Flambeau Mine
The Flambeau Mine in Ladysmith, Wisconsin, is one of the most remarkable volcanogenic massive sulfide (VMS) deposits in the United States, celebrated for producing exceptional specimens of minerals such as chalcocite, bornite, chalcopyrite, pyrite, and native copper. Formed roughly 1.8 billion years ago within ancient volcanic rocks of the Penokean Orogeny, the deposit is renowned for its unusually high copper grades and the occurrence of lustrous, well-crystallized sulfides rarely seen in such quantity from VMS-style systems. During its brief but productive commercial life, the mine yielded brilliant metallic chalcocite crystals—often sharp and silvery-black—alongside iridescent bornite and striking copper replacements that became highly prized by mineral collectors worldwide.
Although Flambeau operated as an open-pit copper mine from 1993 to 1997, its short lifespan only heightened the desirability of its specimens. Mineral recovery occurred largely in the near-surface oxidized and enriched zone, where geological conditions created pockets of exceptionally aesthetic material. Today, fine minerals from the Flambeau Mine are considered classics, sought after both for their beauty and for their connection to one of the most geologically significant VMS deposits in the Midwest.
The Flambeau Mine in Ladysmith, Wisconsin, is one of the most remarkable volcanogenic massive sulfide (VMS) deposits in the United States, celebrated for producing exceptional specimens of minerals such as chalcocite, bornite, chalcopyrite, pyrite, and native copper. Formed roughly 1.8 billion years ago within ancient volcanic rocks of the Penokean Orogeny, the deposit is renowned for its unusually high copper grades and the occurrence of lustrous, well-crystallized sulfides rarely seen in such quantity from VMS-style systems. During its brief but productive commercial life, the mine yielded brilliant metallic chalcocite crystals—often sharp and silvery-black—alongside iridescent bornite and striking copper replacements that became highly prized by mineral collectors worldwide.
Although Flambeau operated as an open-pit copper mine from 1993 to 1997, its short lifespan only heightened the desirability of its specimens. Mineral recovery occurred largely in the near-surface oxidized and enriched zone, where geological conditions created pockets of exceptionally aesthetic material. Today, fine minerals from the Flambeau Mine are considered classics, sought after both for their beauty and for their connection to one of the most geologically significant VMS deposits in the Midwest.
$85
SPECIES
Chalcocite
LOCATION
Flambeau Mine, Ladysmith, Wisconsin
SIZE
1.45 x 1.45 x .8"
CATEGORY
ITEM
#343261
