Pyrochlore Concentrate - Quebec Columbian Property, Oka, Quebec, Canada

This vial contains pyrochlore concentrate from the St. Lawrence Columbium (Quebec Columbium) mine at Oka, Quebec — one of the most significant niobium-producing operations in Canadian mining history and a name well known to anyone studying carbonatite-hosted rare metal deposits. Oka sits within the Oka Alkaline Carbonatite Complex, a Cretaceous-age intrusion in the Monteregian Hills province of southern Quebec, where carbonatite and associated alkaline rocks host economically significant concentrations of pyrochlore, the primary ore mineral of niobium (historically called "columbium," hence the mine's name). The mine operated for decades as a major source of niobium ore, processed into ferroniobium for the steel industry, and the deposit remains one of the best-studied carbonatite-hosted Nb-REE systems in the world.

This material represents processed mill concentrate rather than a hand specimen — pyrochlore grains liberated and concentrated from the host carbonatite through the mine's beneficiation process, giving a genuine, close-up look at the actual ore mineral itself rather than mineral scattered through matrix. Pyrochlore is a complex niobate mineral, typically occurring as small octahedral crystals or granular masses in shades of brown, reddish-brown, or black, and concentrate samples like this one are a great way to examine the mineral's crystal habit and colour directly. For collectors interested in industrial mineralogy, Canadian mining history, or building out a systematic collection of ore and economic minerals, a genuine concentrate sample from a historically important, now largely inactive operation like Oka is a worthwhile and relatively uncommon addition.

Total weight including vial is 13.35 grams