Description
Pyrite “suns,” also called “miners’ dollars,” are spectacular disk-shaped mineral concretions of pyrite [iron sulfide (FeS2) arranged in a regular cubic configuration] with minor amounts of marcasite [also iron sulfide (FeS2) but arranged in an orthorhombic configuration, i.e., a rectangular or stretched cube shape]. The mineral disks range from the size of a small penny up to the size of a dinner plate but are commonly about 3 to 4 inches in diameter. Pyrite has a metallic luster and is generally brassy to yellow in color; thus, it is often called “fool’s gold.”