Dyscrasite with Silver

specimen number:
9506693

location:
Bouismas Mine, Tansifte Caidat, Agdz Cercle, Zagora, Draa-Tafilalet, Morocco

description:

Spiky twinned semi lustrous metallic crystals of dyscrasite and native silver measuring to 2.6 cm in length coming nicely off matrix. In excellent condition.

The Bouismas Mine, situated within the renowned Bou Azzer mining district of the Anti-Atlas region in Morocco, was developed primarily during the 20th century alongside regional industrial mining efforts that began around 1930, experiencing active extraction phases interspersed with closures depending on cobalt and precious metal reserves. Geologically, the deposit is hosted within complex Precambrian inliers featuring serpentinized ophiolites cut by hydrothermal vein systems associated with intense faulting and tectonic events. Dyscrasite, a natural silver-antimony alloy, occurs locally within these carbonate-rich veins as metallic dendritic crystals and aggregates, frequently undergoing secondary alteration to form minerals like allargentum.

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