Silver

specimen number:
8911184

location:
White Pine mine, Ontonagon Co., Michigan, USA

description:
Fine branching twinned crystal grouping of native silver coming off of a small amount of breccia matrix. This is in good condition all around. The specimen comes with a previous label from the Alton collection.

Located in Ontonagon County, Michigan, the White Pine mine is situated in the Lake Superior basin within the Proterozoic Nonesuch Shale formation. Unlike the native copper deposits typical of the Keweenaw Peninsula, mineralization at White Pine occurred primarily as finely disseminated chalcocite hosted within siltstone and shale strata formed in a ancient lacustrine and deltaic environment. Underground mining began in the early 20th century, but major commercial production expanded significantly during the 1950s under the White Pine Copper Company, making it one of the largest underground copper mines in North America until its closure in the late 1990s. Mineral collectors prize the locality for its rare specimens of native copper replacing chalcocite crystals, as well as distinct crystallized copper, silver, and calcite specimens recovered from open seams and veins during active mining operations.

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