Analcime

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A sharp lustrous partly gemmy crystal of analcime with little attached native copper. Nice thumbnail for this Michigan classic.The Phoenix Mine in Keweenaw County, Michigan, is an early copper mining operation developed in the 1840s on the Keweenaw Peninsula following the discovery of native copper in fissure veins and amygdaloidal basalt of the Portage Lake Lava Series. The mine was worked through underground shafts and drifts that followed the copper bearing zones and became part of the early growth of the Michigan copper industry. Although not as large as some nearby operations, Phoenix contributed to regional production during the mid 19th century. Mining activity declined later in the century, and the mine eventually closed, leaving it as part of the historic copper mining landscape of northern Michigan.