Iowa Marcasite Specimen

Weather is to miserable to be outside - thus doing some inside collection cataloging. Wanted to share this Iowa marcasite. Not a pretty piece for the display case – however, unique locale with some of the some of the largest marcasite blades ever found in Iowa. Largest single crystals up to 5.5 centimeters length. Specimen size 11 x 9 x 4.5 centimeters, no matrix, collected 2008. Small, single pocket find, less than 10 specimens collected.

iowamarcasitegrey.jpg

Hal'

Waddaya mean, not pretty? That piece is cool...Desirable!. Yes, it is lousy outside, so i'm on mindat. Beats t.v. I've found some fine, small marcasites in rip rap around here (N. Ill). Nothing close to that! Happy cataloging, and share anything else you want.

Mike

As an Iowa collector it is one of my prize items - I don't believe anyone has an Iowa marcasite to match it. It doesn't compare to the Rhodo's, Azurites, and other colorful minerals that grace most cases. As a retired geologist I never met a mineral I didn't like. I co-authored the Iowa locality article in Rocks and minerals and don't recall any other locale that produced marcasite of this quality. .....Hal P