Copper

This richly crystallized Native Copper specimen from David Hardman's comprehensive world copper collection comes from the El Salvador mine in the mining district of the same name in Chañaral Province, Atacama, Chile. Operated as an opencast porphyry copper mine since 1959 one might expect specimens of Native Copper to be widespread but they simply are not. Either very few were found, or access to collecting at this mine was restricted, but either way, this small cabinet-sized thick branching Native Copper is both rare and very fine. In detail, the branches are composed of very many small blocky Native Copper crystals with a little white Quartz (or perhaps Calcite) intermixed. A tiny area of Cuprite is also evident.