Selected Virginia Minerals (Part 8)
Pyrite
• Pyrite was mined from large commercial ore deposits in the Piedmont in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
• Pyrite is common as fine grains in dark shales and coals in the Valley and Ridge and Appalachian Plateaus. Coal beds rich in pyrite are high-sulfur, acid-drainage-producing seams.
Pyrite (Photograph by Stan Johnson)
This rock was found in Albemarle County. The shiny gold mineral on the front of the rock is pyrite. Quartz and other minerals make up this rock as well.