Pyrite Suns » All About Pyrite Suns

PYRITE SUNS

admin — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 01:59:45 +0000

HISTORY OF THE PYRITE SUN
Pyrite Suns are found 300 feet below the surface in coal mines. They have been dated as being 350 million years old, they are considered to be pyritized fossil replacements. Coal Miners have been finding them in the mines located in Illinois ever since mining began there. To date, this particular formation of pyrite in all the world, has only been found in the coal formations of Illinois coal mines.
They are surrounded by marine shale in a narrow seam lying on top of the coal vein. The cleaning process to take it from its raw state to the shiny object on display is a long and tedious. Layers of slate must carefully be removed to reveal the beauty beneath.
Mineralogists speculate that they are “pyrite crystals formed between layers of slate and coal.” The Smithsonian Instituted has researched them and proven them to be pyrite, iron sulphide.
Possible theories that have come down through the years are, mineral experts theorized that they were fossilized sand dollars or lily pads. Another theory is that they are pyritized replacements of an earlier fossil creature, or that they are a flattened pyrite crystal, spread out under heat and pressure in the seams of the slate.
The name Pyrite comes from the Greek word “pyr” meaning “fire.” Pyrite’s usual crystal forms are cubic, octahedron and pyritohedron. These delightful pyrite pieces have gone by many names through time, pyrite suns, miners dollars, and fools gold.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PYRITE SUN
A pyrite sun or miners dollar is a sand dollar sized pyrite, flat with golden-like rays in the shape of a rising sun. The hidden natural beauty of this disc shines with a beautiful luster with a myriad of crystals with gold flecks radiated out from the center. The shiny brass yellow minerals have been mistaken for gold. It gives off the reflection of a shiny brassy yellow color.
It is an interesting geological specimen and find, it is a wonderful eye catcher in a display or just a great all around conversation piece. It is a favorite among rock collectors, it can be used in mosaic displays, and has been used in jewelry. It is the perfect gift for children and adults, and if you have that one person on your list, that you rack your brain trying to figure out what to buy that one person that already has everything, this is definitely the most original and fascinating gift you will find.

What They Are Called?

admin — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 01:05:26 +0000

Originally these formations were thought to have been called miners dollars. This name was said to have been given by the miners that found them and associated them to silver dollars which were common in the early 1900’s. Hense the name “miner dollar”. Another name given is pyrite dollar since it’s made of pyrite and shaped like a silver dollar or sand dollar. People have called them suns because, when properly cleaned they look gold and reflectively shine, resembling the sun. Other names like pyrite floaters have been used because these things are found floating indepently in slate (shale). The name most have agreed upon is pyrite sun since they are made of pyrite and resemble suns. Some have called them pyrite fossils because they are fossils that have been replaced with pyrite. Mistakenly they have been referred to as mascrites, concreation, or a nodule due to the chemical compound, but in fact they are not any of these. When broken they consist of two large, flat, a slightly convex disc with a thin plate of black shale separating them with a short crystalline columnar structure perpendicular to the surface of the disc. They are actually Pseudomorphs, likely a fossil totally replaced with pyrite, making the end product stronger, filled with completely different elements, but maintaining their original shape. So the true answer to the official name, as to this date, is Pyrite Sun and they are believed to be a pseudomorph. They have been reported to be over 300 million years old.

Where Are They Found?

admin — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 00:48:58 +0000

There have only been seven coal mines in the world that have produced pyrite suns. All of which have been found only in Southern Illinois. Found in the Shawnee Hills region, pyrite suns have specifically been located in Randolph County, Illinois. Of the seven mines, six to this date have closed with only one remaining, the Gateway Mine owned by Peabody Energy. Some of the locations of pre-existing mines were the Baldwin Mine, the Marissa Mine that was North of Tilden, the Moffett Mine which was East of Eden, the River King Mine near Freeburg and West of Coulterville there was also a mine.

These mines were also filled with Pyrite Suns, the Gateway Mine may be the last that will produce any of these treasures. The Pyrite Suns are found sporratically through the mine in certain areas that have slate roofs. Only about 1/20th of the pyrite suns are estimated to have been brought out of the mines by the miners. The rest are destroyed during the mining process or just left in the remains of the closed off mined areas.

This is the final resting place of pyrite suns. Due to EPA regulations this particular type of coal will not be mined again. The high sulphur amounts contained in this coal will no longer be used in the market, making this mine the last expected extractor of pyrite suns. Estimates are that it only holds three more years of coal extraction. They are found 200 feet underground making extraction unlikely to occur again without mining. There have been pyrite forms also called pyrite suns that have been found in China, but their characteristics are different, they are not fossil replacements, but geological formations.

THE BEGINNING OF COAL

admin — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 00:45:41 +0000

Over 300 million years ago during the Carboniferous period, the earth was a large swamp land, covered with trees, ferns, and foliage in a boggy type atmosphere. This is when coal beds began forming. Layers and layers of plant matter accumulated at the bottom of a large body of water. The mud or acidic water protected the plant matter from bio-degradation and oxidization. The atmospheric carbon in the ground was trapped by immense peat bogs, sediments covered and deeply buried these plant remains that are believed to have been a fern-like species. Then over an extended period of time, the chemical and physical properties of the plant remains changed by geological action to create a solid material, which metamorphosed into coal.

Coal is a combustible brownish-black or black sedimentary rock occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure. Coal is composed primarily of carbon along with variable quantities of other elements, such as sulphur, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen.

Coal, is a fossil fuel, it is the largest source of energy used for electricity worldwide, it is also the largest worldwide anthropogenic source of carbon dioxide emissions. Carbon dioxide emissions from coal usage are slightly more than those from petroleum and almost double the amount from natural gas.

MINING OF COAL

Coal is extracted from the ground by mining, either underground or in open pits. In the coal mines of Randolph County, Illinois, specifically the Gateway Mine in Coulterville, coal is mined underground. The type of mining done here is sub-surface, room and pillar type.

Tons of coal are mined each day(approx. 75 thousand a week), the coal miners work around the clock on 3 shifts. On an average day for a coal miner there are several different jobs that are performed to mine coal. The beginning of a shift, the mine is inspected, for safety, and air quality before the miners are allowed to go down into the mine. The coal miners load up with their equipment needed for the day, such as a head lamp, self-rescuer, hard hat, methane detector and other safety equipment with an added weight of about 20 extra pounds. The coal miners then take a 12 ft. by 18 ft. cage down a 200 foot shaft into the mine. The cage can hold approximately 60 miners. Generally there are 50 employees on a shift.

At this point there is what is called the Blue Room, this room is an airlock chamber that has two doors, one in and one out. The miners enter the room at one end and exit from the other into the mine. The first door must be closed before they can exit into the mine. There is a high volume of air which is called intake air, there is also neutral air which is used in the travel zone of the mine, these cannot be mixed.

After exiting from the Blue Room the miners load onto Man Trips, these carry 10 to 12 men each. The crews are then transported to the working units. The unit consists of a working face where the mining takes place. A unit consists of crosscuts, pillars, and curtains. The crosscuts are where the coal is removed from the coal seam. Pillars are left in these units to provide support for the top. Curtains are hung to provide air control through the working face.

There are several steps in getting ready to mine the coal. There are numerous different types of equipment used. The first being the Miner, it is run by one man, although, when coal mines were unionized, for safety this was a 2 man job. The Miner cuts into the coal seam, extracting the coal as it goes, then backs out and loads the coal onto Ram Cars at the face. Then a Roof Bolter is sent in, which is run by 2 men, these men install 4 to 6 ft. bolts into the roof to stabilize the working area. There is an average of 40 bolts put into each section where coal is to be mined. After the roof bolts are in place, a Scoop is sent in where it cleans the ribs and then dumps the spoilage at the face, where the Miner then loads it into Ram cars. These Ram Cars take the coal and load them onto the belts that lead out of the mine. The coal is sent to a cleaning plant where it is processed and loaded onto train cars.

It seems like a very easy and quick process, but it is not. It is a dangerous process, where coalminers are at risk of an unstable top falling in on them, and numerous steps to get to the major mining portion of the day. These mining sites underground run miles and miles in every direction through 20 foot wide tunnels.There are numerous types of equipment underground, the use of what is called a Buggy allow the miners to go from one unit to another. The Buggies and Man Trips can travel around 4 miles an hour. In an emergency it would generally take about 20 minutes to get back to the top to safety. It would take about 2 hours for a miner to walk out of the mine to safety.

Keeping the air flow in a mine is a major part of their job. Temporary curtains are hung in each work area. The flow of air is crucial for their safety, the coal dust has to be eradicated and blown out into the returns on a continuous basis. The accumulation of coal dust is explosive.

The miners have all been given safety and first aid courses with instructions on how to use methane detectors and their safety equipment. The self-rescuer that the miner carries on him has about a 20 minute supply of air, in an emergency this gives them time to get to a Man Trip where SCSR’s (Self Containing Self Rescuers) are stored. The SCSR holds 1 hour of air. There are also storage areas called a cache every 2000 feet where more SCSR’s are stored. As a last resort when all other options have been exhausted there are Rescue Chambers underground where it is hoped the miners would be sheltered until rescue comes.

The coal mine must be dusted with rock dust, this is for safety and also for illumination for the coal miner. The rock dust keeps the coal dust from becoming explosive. The white dust also reflects the light back from the walls coming from the headlamps attached to the miners hard hats.

The coal mines of Illinois are not really listed as being gassy mines. Whether it be because they are not as deep as other mines or for other reasons, the mines in this area are not usually considered to contain large pockets of methane, although, the mine is checked regularly for any type of build up of Methane emissions. Mines in other states have depths of 600 to 1200 feet which liberate gas. The Gateway mine is closer to 200 feet in depth.

Coal Mining is a very dangerous job, there have been generations of coal miners in this area. It is a tough, tiring and dirty job and the pay has never been worth the risks that have to be faced each day. Day in and day out these men do risk their lives each time they take the long ride down into the cavernous dark coalmine. It is hard for me to actually imagine what it would be like to be hundreds of feet underground for 8 to 12 hours a day in utter darkness except for a little light on your hat. These are very brave men that have had few choices in this area for a safer, cleaner, healthier work environment.

What Do People Do With Pyrite Suns

admin — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 00:59:13 +0000

There are many, many uses for Pyrite Suns:

Rock collectors collect them for their displays.

Museums use them in their displays.

Scientist’s use them for their fossil property values.

Geologists use them for their geological value.

Jewelers use them to make beautiful jewelry for: necklaces, bracelets, key chains, money clips, lockets, pendants, earrings, rings, or brooches. Jewelry is spelt jewellery in other parts of the world.

Artist’s use them in many different aspects of art for creating mosaics, medallions, or trophies.

Superstitious People use them as a good luck charm.

Astrologist’s use them as the gem for Leo.

Puzzle Seeker’s are intrigued by pyrite suns, they are a mystery: What are they? Why do they only appear in Southern Illinois? Are they an answer to another larger question? One answer can cause another question or visa versa.

Healers believe pyrite has healing properties.

Decoration their beautiful design and color go with any decore

Gifts they make great gifts especially for that someone who has everything

Commodity they are becoming rarer and rarer as mines have closed with only one remaining which will close in 2012

A NARRATIVE DESCRIPTION FROM A COALMINER

admin — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 01:49:34 +0000

Although, my experience with coal miners has always been that they have the most “colorful” expressions and stories that I have ever had the pleasure of hearing, of which I must admit that they have opened up an entirely new vocabulary for me. I cannot in all honesty say that I can use many of their descriptive, unique, “colorful” expressions in stories that I write.
I have to say in my research trying to get a first hand impression and account of when and how they come upon the miners dollars underground, it was like pulling teeth. I finally told my subject that if anyone ever asks to interview him again, “tell them to bring a set of pliers.”
After a lot of tugging and pulling I did get this narrative out of him. He said that the most prominent place to find the miners dollars (pyrite suns) is after 4 to 6 inches of the top has fallen out. The pyrite suns are buried in the slate and are really not readily exposed unless this happens. I asked him to explain what this looks like when he comes upon them. He said that, “The mine is pitch black, illumination only coming from the miners cap-lamp wherever it is shined, or whatever direction it is pointed in. As you look at the ceiling (top) it looks like shiny and sparkly gold spots, like tiny stars in a dark sky.”
The miners dollars have to be preyed out of the slate, or at times, they will actually be embedded in the slate on the ground. Slate is very, very heavy, the miners usually just pry them out. Although, they are most rare when they are brought topside embedded in a sheet of slate.

THE ASTROLOGICAL SIGN OF PYRITE IS LEO

admin — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 01:54:05 +0000

It’s element is Fire, some of the descriptions of Leo that surround Pyrite are that it deflects and disperses negativity, stimulates intellect, harmonizes dualities, enhances psychic development, enhances memory, increases energy and stamina, promotes self-confidence, and attracts wealth and good fortune.
Pyrite is a strong, projective, masculine, direct, and to the point solar stone. Possibly people that are already overly aggressive should probably avoid this stone. On the other hand for the meek and mild, it is believed that Pyrite will prevent you from being duped or taken advantage of, by giving you a crystal clear idea of what is actually being said.
The stone is also used for the manifestation of ideas, also believing that this fiery stone will get you up and moving and headed in the right direction to put your ideas to work.

MYTHS AND LEGENDS OF THE PYRITE SUN

admin — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 01:56:19 +0000

There are a lot of myths, legends and stories about the Pyrite Suns, one such story is that in the early mining industry, the miners actually used them for credit at the company store to buy food and supplies. Hence, Miners Dollars, actually, I like this story best, but, I cannot document this.
Native Americans believed that when looking into a polished piece of Pyrite they could look into one’s very own soul. The Shamans of their tribe called it a “stone of power” or “Healer’s Stone” and it was used in healing rituals.
The Mayans, Aztecs and Incas, were known to polish large slabs of Pyrite to a mirror-like finish which they used for scrying, commonly known as crystal gazing.
The Pyrite crystal is used to attract money, good fortune and is also used to protect against infections and viral diseases, and will keep you in a good state of health.
The ancient Chinese believed that Pyrite would guard against crocodile attacks.
“The Sleeping Prophet”, Edgar Cayce, recommended that to “carry a piece of Carbon Steel in one’s pocket would inhibit one from catching a cold or infection.” Pyrite also claims the same health benefits.
Pyrite is believed to balance the flow between the left and right brain functions.
Ancient Greeks were believed to have used polished Pyrite to make jewelry and amulets during the Victorian Age in England.
It is believed to give “physical aid in treating: Infections, viruses and fevers; blood disorders; increases blood flow to the brain and improves circulatory system; increases memory; bone and cellular formation; helps repair DNA/RNA damage; fatigue, lung problems; digestive tract problems; and relieves anxiety and stress.”

POCKET PYRITES

admin — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 01:57:46 +0000

It has been believed through the years to be a magical stone which possesses its own healing and protective powers. Myths surrounding pyrite include the power to shield yourself from negative energy, attract wealth, put a shield around you and your loved ones, and can give you creative and brilliant ideas.
Pyrite has been carried to attract wealth and has been used in money spells. It is believed to give “physical aid in treating: Infections, viruses and fevers; blood disorders; increases blood flow to the brain and improves circulatory system; increases memory; bone and cellular formation; helps repair DNA/RNA damage; fatigue, lung problems; digestive tract problems; and relieves anxiety and stress.” Pyrite is believed to balance the flow between the left and right brain functions.
“The Sleeping Prophet”, Edgar Cayce, recommended that to “carry a piece of Carbon Steel in one’s pocket would inhibit one from catching a cold or infection.” Pyrite also claims the same health benefits.
Pyrite has come to be known as a strong, projective, masculine, direct, and to the point solar stone.
For the superstitious or just the “why not, can’t hurt” types, small pocket sized Pyrite Suns are great gifts for children or loved ones or that special someone that already has everything.