Copper from a 2,000 year old Roman Copper Mine

Mineral Matters #430

The current Facebook Mineral of the Week Group’s selected theme is native elements.

One of the more common minerals occurring as a native element is copper.

Copper can be found as crystals, often in branching groups, as massive material, and occasionally as a pseudomorph (for example, after cuprite). It is found in orebodies, usually in the oxidised zone, and in basalts. Some of the largest masses of copper are known from the Michigan area, also famous for its copper skulls.

This example is an unusual and interesting one. Small patches of copper have grown in saturated timbers in an old Roman era copper mine. Copper was an important component in the manufacture of bronze items.

Below: Copper (formed in saturated wood), 2,000 year old Roman Copper Mine, Cyprus. Width of view 14.5mm.