Tellurite with Tellurium, Quartz
specimen number:
1052509
location:
Zlatna, Alba Co., Romania
description: Zlatna, located in the Alba County of Romania within the Apuseni Mountains, is one of the oldest and most famous mining centers in the Golden Quadrangle. Its history of gold extraction stretches back to the Roman Empire, when the settlement was known as Ampelum and served as the administrative headquarters for the regional gold mines. Geologically, the area is characterized by Neogene volcanic activity that created a complex network of hydrothermal veins and breccia pipes. These ore bodies are primarily hosted in volcanic andesite and dacite, containing high concentrations of native gold, silver, and telluride minerals. Zlatna is particularly significant in mineralogical history as the type locality for several rare minerals, most notably sylvanite and tellurium, which were first identified from samples in this region. While the landscape still bears the marks of centuries of intensive smelting and underground operations, the district remains a legendary site for the study of epithermal gold-silver deposits and the evolution of European mining technology.
From the type locality for the species, tiny yellow micro crystal groupings of tellurite are on a matrix rich with metallic tellurium. Quartz is present as well. The specimen comes with an antique label as shown at the end of the video. The specimen dates to the early 20th century.
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