As chalcopyrite goes, this isn’t much of a specimen. But chalcopyrite is a very rare mineral at MSH – less common than sabinaite or horváthite-(Y), and much less common than, say, gaidonnayite. Moreover, the chalcopyrite has been verified via qualitative EDS. (See the “Analysis” tab.) The chalcopyrite is associated with several nice gobbinsite aggregates, several pretty “rosettes” of gmelinite-Na, and a small donnayite group aggregate - probably intermediate donnayite/mckelveyite-(Y). There is also minor synchysite-(Ce) and sphalerite. These are both very small and insignificant. I had them analyzed, because, at MSH, you just never know what will turn up. I have included the scans.
The first pair of photos (FOV 5.7 x 4.0 mm) shows a nice gobbinsite aggregate (1.55 mm) in the center, a gmelinite-Na rosette (1.55 mm) on the right, and crude, encrusted, chalcopyrite crystal (1.85 mm). I thought that the encrustation might be a Cu alteration mineral, but it looks similar to the stuff that turned out to be synchysite-(Ce).
The second pair of photos (FOV 6.8 x 4.7 mm) shows more of the chalcopyrite and gmelinite-Na. The somewhat greenish rods in the upper right are the synchysite that was analyzed. The chalcopyrite is partly encrusted by more of the synchysite and partly fractured. It isn’t clear if these were crude crystals or just blobs constrained by the walls of the cavity.
The next photo (FOV 2.2 x 2.3 mm) is a close-up of one of the gobbinsite aggregates. It spans 1.8 m.
The next pair of photos (FOV 3.2 x 2.2 mm) zooms in on a gemlinte rosette 1.6 mm in diameter.
The next photo (FOV5.9 x 4.1 mm) is a broader view of some of the gobbinsite and gmelinite.
The next photo (FOV 1.6 x 1.2 mm) is an extreme close-up (equivalent to ca 60X) showing the largest “donnayite group” aggregate. This was not analyzed – they don’t do it for free! – but similar material from a nearby find showed intermediate donnayite-(Y)/mckelveyite-(Y). Also visible – not too clearly – are some of the stacked sphaleite terahedra (far right).
Single item shipping weight is 2.9 oz (82 g). For shipments outside the USA, up to a total weight < 8 oz (225g), this can be combined with items from this or other auctions for the same postage.
Within the USA, postage now varies by destination. For total weights up to 13 oz, it ranges from $4.50 to $7.00 (including packing etc). Above 13 oz (up to 16 oz), I will use “own box” Priority Mail. The rate, including packing, varies from $8 to $10.
