Cubanite

Hair-thin, acicular cubanite crystals are dispersed in spots across the host rock on this specimen, accompanied by tiny, well-developed pyrrhotite crystals. The metallic needles were originally thought to be millerite, but an X-ray analysis conducted in 1990 by Jerry VanVelthuysen at the Canadian Museum of Nature (CMN X-ray #X-11511) confirmed them to be cubanite, an exceptionally unusual habit for this mineral. Cubanite typically forms blocky or platy crystals, making true acicular sprays like these extremely scarce and mineralogically significant.

The specimen was collected by my father in the early 1980s while he was performing explosives technical work at the Advocate Asbestos Mine, specifically on the South Final Pit Wall. Located near Baie Verte, the Advocate Mine was an important chrysotile producer but also yielded a small suite of rare sulfide micro-species from altered ultramafic rocks. Collecting at the site has not been possible for decades, making older documented finds such as this one highly desirable.

Specimens showing acicular cubanite from the Advocate Mine are extraordinarily uncommon, and so this example stands as a significant piece of Newfoundland mineralogy. A superb addition for collectors of rare sulfide species, Canadian microminerals, or material from historic, now-inaccessible localities.

Read the full field report on our blog here: https://djoyceminerals.com/cubanite-from-canada/