Provenite

Dzhezkazgan Mine (Zhezkazgan)

MineDraft data

47.7833° N, 67.7000° E · ± 10 km

Bornite from Ulytau Region, Kazakhstan, with photos of specimens from this locality.

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Minerals found here

Bornite

On the same specimen

Same specimen Quartz with Bornite

2 specimen photo(s) from this locality show bornite with quartz together. The pairing comes from the photographer's file name and label, so the relationship between the two minerals is not specified.

Bornite at Dzhezkazgan Mine (Zhezkazgan)

Sharp iridescent bornite crystals perched on colourless quartz are characteristic of the Dzhezkazgan material.

Close-up of bornite crystals from the Dzhezkazgan Mine, field of view 9 mm.
Close-up of bornite crystals from the Dzhezkazgan Mine, field of view 9 mm.
Photo: Leon Hupperichs · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source
Complex bornite crystal of about 2.5 cm with copper-to-blue iridescence from Dzhezkazgan.
Complex bornite crystal of about 2.5 cm with copper-to-blue iridescence from Dzhezkazgan.
Photo: Robert M. Lavinsky · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source
Sharp 9 mm green-iridescent bornite crystal standing on quartz needles, Dzhezkazgan.
Sharp 9 mm green-iridescent bornite crystal standing on quartz needles, Dzhezkazgan.
Photo: Robert M. Lavinsky · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source
Iridescent bornite crystals on a plate of colourless quartz from the Dzhezkazgan Mine.
Iridescent bornite crystals on a plate of colourless quartz from the Dzhezkazgan Mine.
Photo: Robert M. Lavinsky · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source
Formula
Cu₅FeS₄
Morphology
Sharp, isolated to intergrown pseudocubic crystals, often perched on plates of quartz needles
Typical size
Crystals mostly about 1 cm, complex crystals up to about 2.5 cm
Color / luster
Iridescent copper to blue or green tarnish on metallic crystals
Associated minerals
Quartzbaryte
Availability
Scarce
History
Crystal specimens became known in the early 1990s; now mainly available from older collections.

Sources: SRC-664 SRC-675

About Bornite →

Geology of the locality

Region
Ulytau Region
Country
Kazakhstan

Copper deposits around Zhezkazgan city, founded in 1938 to exploit them; the city is headquarters of Kazakhmys. Coordinates are those of the city (Wikipedia), so district level only.

Sources: SRC-667

Sources

  1. SRC-667 · Website
    ZhezkazganWikipedia contributors · Wikipedia
  2. SRC-664 · Book
    Handbook of Mineralogy - BorniteAnthony, J.W.; Bideaux, R.A.; Bladh, K.W.; Nichols, M.C. · 2005 · Mineral Data Publishing / Mineralogical Society of America
  3. SRC-675 · Website
    File:Bornite-251575.jpg; File:Bornite-Quartz-135208.jpg; File:Bornite-Quartz-242673.jpg (Wikimedia Commons)Robert M. Lavinsky · Wikimedia Commons

Draft data from the Provenite workbook. Check entries against the cited sources before relying on them. Photos are open-licence images from Wikimedia Commons; the author and licence are given with each photo.