Chlorargyrite from Chañarcillo Mining District, Atacama, Chile

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For collectors of silver minerals this is an absolute rarity - Bromian Chlorargyrite from the famous Chañarcillo silver mining district in Copiapó Province, Atacama Region, Chile. Prior to the discoveries at Broken Hill in New South Wales, Australia the Chilean deposits were the main source of the rare species Bromian Chlorargyrite - formerly called Embolite. Operating from 1830 to 1880 these deposits worked supergene silver ores. Specimens like this are seldom seen, other than in historic museum collections or the finest private systematic collections, but most of the private specimens originated from museum exchanges. This very rich miniature specimen bears two former collection numbers and came from the superb systematic collection assembled by brothers Martin and Michael Günther (1951-2007 & 1956-2021). With the classic chalky matrix, rich waxy Bromian Chlorargyrite microcrystals are dispersed throughout large areas.