Schalenblende, Galena (spinel twinned), Chalcopyrite

A distinctive specimen from the historic Old Luganure Mine on the north side of Camaderry Mountain in County Wicklow, Ireland, showing layered schalenblende, spinel twinned galena, and chalcopyrite exposed within a calcite matrix. Acid etching has removed portions of the enclosing calcite, revealing concentric bands of the associated sulphides. The etched surface highlights the reniform, layered structure typical of schalenblende and makes the sulphide mineralization clearly visible.

Schalenblende is a compact, fine-grained mixture of sulphide minerals dominated by sphalerite, typically occurring in concentric layers with reniform surfaces and often containing intergrown galena, pyrite, marcasite, and sometimes wurtzite. The Luganure Mine, part of the well-known Glendalough mining district, was historically worked for lead and is best known for galena and secondary minerals such as cerussite formed through oxidation. Well-preserved specimens showing schalenblende with twinned galena and chalcopyrite from this locality are not commonly encountered, making this an interesting representative example of the complex sulphide mineralization from this classic Irish mine.