Gold, Arsenopyrite, Quartz (Specimen #300035)

Mineral(s):      Gold, Arsenopyrite, Quartz

Location:        Homestake Mine, Lead, Lead Mining District, Lawrence County, South Dakota, USA

Size:                3.6 x 2.4 x .5 cm

Description:   An attractive showing of visible gold and arsenopyrite in quartz.

The Homestake Mine was a deep underground gold mine (8,000 feet or 2,438 m) located in Lead, South Dakota. Until it closed in 2002, it was the largest and deepest gold mine in the Western Hemisphere. The mine produced more than forty million troy ounces (43,900,000 oz; 1,240,000 kg) of gold during its lifetime. Ore from the Homestake usually consists of masses of chlorite and quartz with leaves, rods or irregular masses of free gold attached, which is seldom more than 2 cm in the largest dimension and usually much smaller. Exceptional specimens consisting of well-developed arsenopyrite crystals enclosing or encrusted with native gold, and occasional octahedral crystals of gold up to 2 mm in size have been collected.