Gold

specimen number:
8911165

location:
Palmer River, Queensland, Australia

description:
A beautiful hoppered somewhat skeletal loose crystal of bright lustrous native gold. In super condition. This weighs 4.2 g. The specimen comes with a previous label from the Alton collection.

The Palmer River region in Far North Queensland, Australia, is anchored by ancient deformed sedimentary strata of the Hodgkinson Formation, where hydrothermal activity forced gold-bearing quartz veins through regional faults millions of years ago. Weathering and erosion of these hard-rock lodes over long periods concentrated heavy precious metal particles into rich alluvial and eluvial deposits throughout the river system. Sparked by James Venture Mulligan in 1873, the ensuing Palmer River Gold Rush drew tens of thousands of prospectors who intensely worked the gravels using simple pans, cradles, and extensive diversion ditches. While commercial quartz reef mining faced severe transport and operational hurdles, the region yielded remarkable native gold, occasionally forming dendritic nuggets, wire specimens, and crystallized octahedral or dodecahedral habits embedded in quartz matrix or recovered from alluvial wash.

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