Chalcocite

Availability

Available

Price

$35.00

Size

5 x 4 x 4.5 cm - Miniature 

Formula

Cu₂S (RRUFF)

Locality

Morenci mine, Greenlee Co., Arizona, United States

Tagged

ore mineral , sulfide , copper

Nice chunk of fresh Chalcocite with a shiny gray color. It is a little sectile with a grayish black streak. Chalcocite can be confused with the less common Digenite, which will carry a bluish black color when fresh. Chalcocite is nearly 80% Copper, which of course is a major ore.

The primary source of Chalcocite in the USA is the southwest corner of Arizona. The district started with small underground mines, where rich veins of copper sulfide minerals were encountered. Bornite, Chalcopyrite, Enargite, Cuprite and Covellite, were later found in "blanket" deposits formed by supergene enrichment, which prompted open pit mining by 1937. Today, the low-grade copper at the Morenci mine is found in disseminations through out the large copper porphyry deposit.