3.4" Quartz Crystals with Sphalerite & Chalcopyrite - Bulgaria

This is a beautiful cluster of small, clear quartz crystals with Sphalerite and Chalcopyrite. It was collected from the 9th of September Mine (Deveti Septemvri mine) in the Madan ore fields of Bulgaria. The entire specimen is 3.4" which the largest crystals are about 0.6" long.

The Madan Ore Fields have been known since the middle ages, being a big source of lead and zinc in the Middle Ages, and mined extensively in the past 50 years. There are more than 40 underground mines, and in addition to the ore, sometimes spectacular pockets of sphalerite, galena, chalcopyrite and pyrite crystals are discovered.