Description

Detailed Description

This specimen is loaded with sharp, bright copper crystals. It looks super under magnification. Some of the crystals have a black metallic patina (perhaps chalcocite) and a few also host microscopic blue spherical aggregates that might be chrysocolla. A beauty with interest!

About these Rocklands Mine Copper Specimens

Copper was discovered in the area of present-day Cloncurry in the late 1860s, and many mines have been operated in the district since then. This a semi-arid and hot region, with temperatures sometimes exceeding 50C – these are tough prospecting and collecting conditions! The Rocklands Mine was a relatively recent producer, with the first operations beginning in 2005. It was an open pit operation that exploited a significant sulphide zone and a much smaller oxide zone. These copper specimens were collected during a specimen recovery project in the oxide zone from August to October, 2017. The Rocklands Mine is no longer in operation.