Provenite

Gap Nickel Mine (Nickel Mines)

MineClosedDraft data

39.9589° N, 76.0806° W · ± 10 km

Pyrrhotite from Pennsylvania, United States, with photos of specimens from this locality.

View on the map

Minerals found here

Pyrrhotite

Pyrrhotite at Gap Nickel Mine (Nickel Mines)

Massive pyrrhotite with pentlandite and chalcopyrite from the Gap Nickel Mine, Pennsylvania.
Massive pyrrhotite with pentlandite and chalcopyrite from the Gap Nickel Mine, Pennsylvania.
Photo: James St. John · CC BY 2.0 · Source
Formula
Fe₁₋ₓS (x = 0-0.17)
Morphology
Massive sulfide ore
Color / luster
Light brownish, metallic
Associated minerals
Pentlanditechalcopyritemillerite
Availability
No longer available
History
Nickel from this mine supplied the first US five-cent nickel coins (1866).

Sources: SRC-632 SRC-641

About Pyrrhotite →

Geology of the locality

Setting
Nickel-copper sulfide deposit.
Region
Pennsylvania
Country
United States

Copper workings from the early 1700s; nickel mined 1852-1860 and by Joseph Wharton 1862-1893. Coordinates are those of the village of Nickel Mines (Wikipedia). No second source naming pyrrhotite was opened.

Sources: SRC-632

Sources

  1. SRC-632 · Website
    Nickel Mines, PennsylvaniaWikipedia contributors · Wikipedia
  2. SRC-641 · Website
    File:Pyrrhotite-pentlandite-chalcopyrite (Gap Nickel Mine, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, USA).jpgJames St. John · 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.