Epidote, Pyrite, Andradite

This striking specimen from the Marmoraton Mine near Marmora, Ontario, features a well-balanced association of green epidote, and minor pyrite and andradite garnet—classic minerals from this renowned skarn locality. Lustrous, dark brown to black trapezohedral andradite crystals are intergrown in spots here and there, accompanied by complex metallic pyrite cubes. Slender, dark green epidote crystals are scattered all over the surface, in sizes ranging from micro to 10mm, among the garnet and pyrite. The Marmoraton Mine, a large open-pit iron operation active from the 1950s to 1977, developed within a Precambrian skarn zone and is noted for producing exceptional specimens of skarn minerals. This combination piece is an excellent example of the diverse and attractive mineralogy from this now-inactive classic Ontario locality.