Silver

specimen number:
9302372

location:
New Nevada Mine, Batopilas, Chihuahua, Mexico

description:
Twinned crystals of native silver throughout all sides of this massive calcite matrix.

The New Nevada Mine is part of the legendary Batopilas mining district located in the deep canyons of the Sierra Madre Occidental in southwestern Chihuahua, Mexico. Geologically, the district is hosted within complex Mesozoic and Tertiary volcanic and intrusive sequences, where low-sulfidation hydrothermal fluids deposited rare bonanza-grade ores consisting predominantly of native silver within abundant calcite gangue. Historically, mining in the area dates back to the Spanish colonial discovery around 1632, when rich white native silver ore found near the river inspired the naming of the original Nevada Mine. Over the centuries, the district expanded through various operations like the New Nevada, reaching its peak modern productivity under American investor Alexander Shepherd in the late 19th and early 20th centuries before major operations ceased following the Mexican Revolution.

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