Acanthite with Polybasite, Stephanite (AG-0010)

specimen number:
9273202

location:
Fresnillo, Zacatecas, Mexico

description:

Bright lustrous metallic crystals of acanthite very rich throughout matrix with polybasite and stephanite. In great condition.

The Fresnillo mining district, located in the central part of the state of Zacatecas, Mexico, is one of the world's oldest, largest, and most prolific silver-producing areas. Geologically, it features a massive, complex hydrothermal system where epithermal silver-gold and base metal veins, stockworks, and chimney deposits are hosted within Cretaceous volcanic and sedimentary rocks. Silver mineralization was first discovered at the site by Spanish explorers around 1554, which led to immediate, small-scale extraction. Formal, large-scale industrial operations began in the 1830s with the establishment of the Fresnillo Mining Company, which introduced steam power to manage deep underground drainage. Despite temporary interruptions during the Mexican Revolution, mining expanded dramatically in the twentieth century after the 1926 discovery of the rich Proano vein system complex. Underground mining has operated continuously for centuries and continues actively to this day, with modern shafts reaching deep, high-grade silver-lead-zinc deposits that maintain Fresnillo's position as a global leader in silver output.

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