Native Copper (Historic Specimen). Phoenix Mine, Phoenix, Keweenaw Co., Michigan, USA. 10.0 x 9.0 x 6.1 cm (3.92 x 3.53 x 2....

Description

Native Copper (Historic Specimen)
Phoenix Mine, Phoenix, Keweenaw Co., Michigan, USA
10.0 x 9.0 x 6.1 cm (3.92 x 3.53 x 2.39 in)

Both sides of this Native Copper specimen are lush with numerous Copper crystals, each being richly colored in bronze and very intricate, with many of these crystals being unusually elongated, twinned in the Spinel Law, or otherwise modified in some delightful way. Notes on both accompanying labels describe the crystals as "Arborescent," an accurate description as these Copper growths do bear a strong likeness to fall leaves. Unlike many Michigan specimens, there is still quite a lot of white Calcite in the matrix, creating a stark contrast between the Copper crystals, and against the matrix itself. The largest crystal at 2.3 centimeters appears at the peak of the matrix as a lightly twisting Spinel Law Twin, overlaid by another slightly smaller one. As noted on both the Scalisi label and the typewritten Harvard University label, this specimen was a gift to the university from Raphael Pumpelly, a remarkably accomplished geologist who was instrumental to the organization of the U.S. Geological Survey after its establishment in 1879, among countless other achievements and contributions to the geological advances of his time.

Ex. Scalisi collection.
Ex. Raphael Pumpelly collection.
Ex. Harvard University Mineralogical Museum collection (#1201).

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