Minerals of the Rosen Ore Field

Copper carbonates, sulphides, and iron oxides across five deposits — malachite is the signature mineral of the field.

The Rosen ore field hosts 58 recorded minerals across 10 groups —9 hypogene (primary) and 1 supergene (secondary). The field holds >60 hypogene and 20 supergene minerals in total (Bogdanov 1987); this list is compiled from mindat (loc-25109) and Tzankova (2023) and is not exhaustive.

Hypogene (primary) minerals

Formed at depth by hydrothermal fluids — the original ore deposit.

Copper sulfides & native metals

Rosen mine, Cherveno zname, Surneshko Kladenche, ore field

Rosen mine, ore field

Rosen mine, Cherveno zname

Supergene; Bogdanov 1987

Propadnala Woda (Kostov et al. 1964)

Godishnik Minno-Geol. Inst. 1961

Iron oxides & sulfides

Fe²⁺Fe³⁺₂O₄

Predominant; includes mushketovite variety

(hematite var.)

Quartz-specularite association

Includes cobalt-bearing pyrite; filamentary (Bonev et al. 2006)

Bismuth-lead sulfosalts (aikinite-bismuthinite series)

Studied by Todorov 1990

Pb₅Cu₅Bi₇S₁₈

Pb₂Cu₂Bi₄S₉

Pb₃Cu₃Bi₇S₁₅

Rezbanyite (of Frenzel)

Pb₃Cu₂Bi₁₀S₁₉

UM1990-31-S:AgCuFe

(Cu,Ag,Fe)₆S₄

Tungsten / Molybdenum

Magnetite-scheelite association

Dated at 80.6 ± 0.4 Ma (Sillitoe et al. 2020)

Cobalt minerals

Todorov & Laputina 1980

Cobalt-bearing pentlandite

Todorov & Laputina 1980

Cobalt-bearing pyrite

Part of the cobalt-bearing quartz-pyrite association

Carbonates & gangue

30 cm scalenohedral crystals (Rosen mine)

Ankerite-dolomite

Ankerite-dolomite association

Quartz-chalcedony (late)

Silicates / alteration

KAl₂(AlSi₃O₁₀)(OH)₂

Muscovite var. sericite

KAl₂(AlSi₃O₁₀)(OH)₂

KMg₃(AlSi₃O₁₀)(OH)₂

Apatite-feldspar

Early pegmatoidal association

Phosphates / Sulfates (APS minerals)

Ca₅(PO₄)₃(Cl/F/OH)

Surneshko Kladenche

Florencite-(Ce)

CeAl₃(PO₄)₂(OH)₆

First find in Bulgaria (Kunov et al. 1992)

SrAl₃(PO₄)(SO₄)(OH)₆

Cherveno zname, ore field

CaAl₃(PO₄)(SO₄)(OH)₆

KAl₃(SO₄)₂(OH)₆

Other silicates (APS-alteration assemblage)

Al₂(Si₂O₅)(OH)₄

Hikov et al. 2011

Al₂(Si₂O₅)(OH)₄

Al₂Si₄O₁₀(OH)₂

◻Al₂Mg₂◻₂Si₈O₂₀(OH)₂(H₂O)₄·4H₂O

Al₂(SiO₄)(F,OH)₂

AD₃G₆(T₆O₁₈)(BO₃)₃X₃Z

Supergene (secondary) minerals

Formed by weathering of the primary ore — the green malachite that made copper visible at the surface.

Supergene (oxidation zone) minerals

Cu₂(CO₃)(OH)₂

Most common secondary Cu mineral

Cu₃(CO₃)₂(OH)₂

(Cu,Al)₂H₂Si₂O₅(OH)₄·nH₂O

Cherveno zname, Propadnala Woda

Surneshko Kladenche

Pseudomalachite

Cu₅(PO₄)₂(OH)₄

Propadnala Woda

Dimitrov 1967; rare

γ-kertschenite

Pseudomorphs on vivianite, Propadnala Voda; rare