Silver

specimen number:
8911231

location:
Cobalt, Ontario, Canada

description:
A fine in very rare example of well crystallized native silver with little attached matrix. Crystallized completely all around, some of these twinned crystals reach to 0.5 cm in length. In excellent condition. The specimen comes with several previous labels, including the Alton collection, Bob Jenkins, John Durkos, and McGill University in Canada. A wonderful Canadian classic.

Located in northeastern Ontario, the Cobalt mining camp originated from a massive silver rush sparked in 1903 during the construction of the Temiskaming and Northern Ontario Railway. The regional geology features Proterozoic diabase sills intruding into older sedimentary rocks, forming complex hydrothermal veins rich in native silver, cobalt, nickel, and arsenic. Underground mining operations rapidly transformed the area into a world-class producer, yielding thousands of tons of high-grade silver ore and cementing the region as a legendary locality for classic wire and dendritic silver specimens.

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