Once Upon a Time in Karatha...28 Jan 2022 11:14
Western Australia is one of the most mineral rich regions in the world, yet mineral specimens are comparatively rare. Large mining companies view mineral specimen collecting as little more than a nuisance. The Elizabeth Hill Mine was small enough to see value in providing specimens, and in 1999 an Australian dealer was able to access the site.
The dealer described lumps of pure silver masses up to 40kg in the ore dump, and the mine reported masses to 100kg. He noted also silver wires in the underground workings. The dealer was able to collect undamaged specimens to 11 kg. He also noted vanadanite, chalcanthite, galena, and unidentified silver halides on the ore stockpile. A few hundred silver specimens were collected and many of these are now in circulation. There were also a few specimens of red prismatic vanadinite crystals up to 3.5 mms long on calcite, as well as specimens of chlorargyrite micro-crystals placed on the Australian market at this time. Little else is believed to be in the collector market, although the deposit would have readily provided other species, had the opportunity existed.
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