2.3" Sphalerite, Galena and Quartz Association - Bulgaria

Sphalerite, Galena and Quartz Association - Bulgaria #41728

This is a cluster of lustrous opaque sphalerite crystals from the Borieva mine, located in the Rhodope Mountains of Bulgaria. A cluster of quartz crystals can be found along one side of this specimen, as well as a druze of quartz along the adjacent side. Galena can be found in the center of the specimen, appearing as if it had been melted and placed on top.

The Madan ore fields are located in the Rhodope Mountains of southern Bulgaria, near its border with Greece. This long stretch of mountain range in southeastern Europe is home to a variety of incredible minerals: sulfides in particular show a great variety here. The sulfides pyrite and arsenopyrite, both mined consistently from the Rhodopes, sometimes also contain gold ore. However, they also typically contain relatively high amounts of cyanide. Because of this, these sulfides must undergo an additional cyanide extraction process before the gold can be extracted and used.

Other sulfides like galena, sphalerite, and chalcopyrite can be found throughout this mountain range in all shapes and sizes.

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