From Ohio History Central
The name chalcoperite comes from two Greek roots: a word meaning copper, and a word that refers to the yellow color of the mineral. images/naturalHistory/mineralspyrite is a common mineral, widely spread, and often it is found in large quantities. Therefore, it is an important ore of copper, but in other areas where it is found more often than in Ohio.
|Chemical Composition:||Copper Iron Sulfide (CuFeS2)|
|Crystal habit:||Crystals commonly in finely crystalline granular aggregates|
|Specific gravity:||4.2 - 4.3|
|Hardness:||3 1/2 - 4|
|Color:||Brassy yellow, sometimes iridescent.|
|Occurence:||<img width="195" height="172" title="Map of chalcopyrite" alt="Map of chalcopyrite occurence" src="images/naturalHistory/minerals/pyritemap.gif" />|
Chalcopyrite is found in many places around the world. However, in Ohio the mineral has been reported from only five counties, and usually only in relatively small amounts.It usually is found as granular aggregates, sometimes as finely crystalline masses, in veins of ironstone concretions from black shales.
- Carlson, Ernest H., ed. Minerals of Ohio; Ohio Division of Geological Survey, Columbus, OH; Bulletin 69; 1991.
- Pough, Frederick H. A Field Guide to Rocks and Minerals; Houghton Mifflin, Boston, MA; 1976.
- Sorrell, Charles A. Rocks and Minerals; Golden Press, New York, NY; 1973.