Silver

specimen number:
2062133

location:
Crown Reserve Mine, Cobalt, Ontario, Canada

description:

A cut and polished section very rich with native crystallized silver. The matrix is dolomite, minor skutterudite is present as well. Classic material for this area.

The Crown Reserve Mine, located beneath the bed of Kerr Lake in Cobalt, Ontario, was one of the most famous and profitable silver mines in the world. Geologically, the deposit was hosted within the Cobalt Series of Proterozoic sedimentary rocks where they were intruded by the massive Nipissing Diabase sill. The mineralization occurred as high-grade hydrothermal veins containing spectacular concentrations of native silver alongside cobalt-nickel arsenides. Historically, the mine began its remarkable run in 1907 after the company successfully drained Kerr Lake to access the rich veins on the lake floor. This led to the discovery of the legendary "Silver Sidewalk," a nearly solid vein of silver that was several hundred feet long. The mine operated at peak capacity until 1921, producing over 30 million ounces of silver during its primary lifespan. Though operations scaled back and eventually ceased in the mid-1920s, the Crown Reserve remains a symbol of the immense wealth generated during the Ontario silver rush and is a premier locality for historic silver specimens.

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