Quartz with Chlorite

specimen number:
1052638

location:
St. Gotthard, Leventina, Ticino, Switzerland

description:
Classic Swiss Alpine specimen with colorless gemmy and glassy crystals of quartz measuring to 5.5 cm in size coming off matrix with green chlorite. Very minimal damage present. The specimen comes with an antique label as shown at the end of the video. At one time this was part of the collection of Wilhelm Hoyer and would date to the 19th century.

The Saint Gotthard Massif in Switzerland is a legendary locality for high-quality quartz crystals, particularly the prized faden quartz and smoky quartz varieties. Geologically, the region is composed of Hercynian-age granitic and gneissic basement rocks that were intensely deformed during the Alpine orogeny, leading to the formation of tectonic fissures or pockets. These alpine-type fissures provided the space for hydrothermal fluids to precipitate exceptionally clear and well-formed quartz crystals over millions of years. Historically, the extraction of these minerals has been carried out by local collectors known as strahlers, a tradition that has been documented since the 17th century and continues into 2026. While large-scale industrial mining was never the primary focus, the construction of the Saint Gotthard rail and road tunnels between 1872 and 1880, as well as the later base tunnel projects, led to the discovery of some of the most significant mineral pockets in history.

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