4.65" Galena with Sphalerite on Quartz - Bulgaria

This is an aesthetic cluster of Galena cubes with Sphalerite and Quartz from the 9th of September Mine (Deveti Septemvri mine) in the Madan ore field of Bulgaria. The specimen is 4.65" wide.

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.

Shalerite ((Zn,Fe)S) is a mineral that is the chief ore of zinc while Galena is a primary ore for lead.