Cuprite with Copper

Unknown Owner

An aesthetic spray of crystallized native copper, small deep red lustrous crystals of cuprite scattered throughout. Classic material for this locality, this is in good condition.The Ray Mine in Pinal County, Arizona is a large copper mining operation located in the Mineral Creek district. Mining began in the late 19th century with underground workings that extracted high grade copper ore from hydrothermal deposits. In the early 20th century the operation expanded into a large open pit mine as lower grade porphyry copper ore was developed. The Ray Mine has produced large amounts of copper and remains one of the important copper mining operations in Arizona.