Rammelsbergite

Unknown Owner

Crystalline and massive metallic lustrous rammelsbergite throughout matrix. This appears to have been etched out of enclosing massive calcite. Neat historical specimen for both the species and locality. The specimen comes with an antique label as shown at the end of the video. Mining in Schladming, Austria has a long history dating back to the Middle Ages when the region became an important source of silver and base metals in the Eastern Alps. Ore deposits occurred in hydrothermal veins hosted in metamorphic rocks, and underground mining methods were used to extract silver bearing galena along with copper and other sulfide minerals. The wealth generated from mining helped the town develop as a regional center during the 15th and 16th centuries before production gradually declined. Today Schladming is better known as a ski resort, but its historic mine workings and mineral specimens reflect its former importance as an Alpine mining district.