Video - So much Massive Pyrite!

[meMiner]

I have never seen so much pyrite in one location! The rocks here were mostly pyrite and Bitumen. Some of the pyrite crystals looked like psudomorphs.

 

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[Terry Soloman]

Amazing!

 

[Jim in Idaho]

Unreal!

 

[Megalodon]

Wow! Beautiful pyrite - Thanks for sharing great video!

 

[Clay Diggins]

Nice video, thanks for sharing your finds.

The country rock is shale, not banded iron. Banded iron is interleaved iron with quartz - usually in the form of brightly colored chert.

The pyrite discs are known as "pyrite suns" and they are very common in shale associated with coal deposits. Pyrite suns can be found in other types of rock too.

The Bitumin you demonstrated is a form of coal. Actual Bitumin is oily and sticky like used motor oil or black gummy glue. It's commonly called asphalt in the United States. What you are showing is Bituminous coal, somewhat related to Bitumin but much harder with a much higher store of energy. The tree branch looking thing was probably a carbonized tree branch. Coal consists of compressed and carbonized plant material and it's common to find recognizable plant shapes embedded in the coal.

The pyrite was removed from the mined coal to keep the high sulfur pyrite from lowering the grade of coal. Pyrite is Iron sulfide (FeS[SUP]2[/SUP]). In the coal industry sulfur is a bad thing so the pyrite is left as mine waste after the coal has been extracted.

Keep exploring and sharing. I look forward to viewing your next video!

 

[Jim in Idaho]

Hay Barry...I appreciate the explanation. I thought the rock looked like shale. I always enjoy learning things. This directly applies to a place I've been working near the Utah border.
Jim

 

[DDancer]

Quite a few variations of pyrites there. Good stuff.

 

[meMiner]

Wow! Beautiful pyrite - Thanks for sharing great video!

I continue to learn. Thanks for the wonderful explanation.

 

[old digger]

That's Cool!