| TETRAHEDRITE, QUARTZ, Ophir Mine, Ophir District, Tooele county, Utah, 7 x 5 x 3 cm | |
 | Here in a very uncommon Tetrahedrite location. These are hard to find and there are only a few. The Tetrahedrites are hidden by Calcite which is etched off by HCl. Only a few stray specimens have been found. The source of these specimens in the mine has not been located. Now the mine is closed to collecting by its current land owners. This specimen is of an etched matrix revealing a bed of terminated needle Quartz crystals peppered with micro Pyrites. I counted no less than 9 Tetrahedrite crystals partially sticking out of the Quartz to 1 cm. The tip of the largest crystal looks like it has part of the tip missing but the edge has pyrite grown on it so it was an old break before the crystallization of the Pyrite. Also the Tetrahedrite and Quartz were covered with Calcite which protected the Crystals. |
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