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Acanthite ps Argentite, Silver
Posted by: macadmin on 05.14.2020 | Filed under:

Acanthite ps Argentite, Silver

Specimen # 100408
Mineral: Acanthite ps Argentite, Silver
Location: Acanthite ps Argentite, Imiter Mine, Djebel Saghro, Ouarzazate Province, Morocco
Size: 4.4 x 3.0 x 2.0 cm

Description

Detailed Description

This is a really neat specimen. It is a group of acanthite crystals (pseudomorphs after argentite), featuring a large 2.2 cm parallel-growth crystal at the top. With magnification, one can see that the surface of the forward-facing face (as I would display this piece) of the large crystal hosts many small wires and knobs of native silver.  Sweet!

 

About These Acanthites

Well-crystallized acanthite has never been common and most of the known localities for crystals are historic, making it difficult, and usually expensive, to obtain fine specimens. The finds at Imiter (Africa’s largest silver mine) in recent years have placed it among the world’s best localities for crystallized acanthite. Although these crystals formed as argentite, argentite is not stable below 179C, at which point it changes to monoclinic  acanthite. The specimens are acanthite pseudomorphs after argentite, retaining the isometric crystal form of the original argentite crystals. I assembled this lot of acanthites over a period of about two years. Most of these specimens, from the 2008 find, remained in Morocco until 2013.

Additional information

Dimensions 44 × 30 × 20 cm