Acanthite ps Argentite
Posted by: macadmin on 04.16.2020 | Filed under:

Acanthite ps Argentite

Specimen # 100411
Mineral: Acanthite ps Argentite
Location: Imiter Mine, Djebel Saghro, Ouarzazate Province, Morocco
Size: 2.1 x 1.9 x 1.3 cm

Description

Detailed Description

This is a beautiful thumbnail-sized delicate tree of acanthite crystals (pseudomorphs after argentite). The crystals are sharp, well-articulated and have great lustre for Imiter acanthites. Sits perfectly. The second photo is a “bird’s-eye view” showing the cross-section with the crystal branches intersecting at 90 degrees,  Gorgeous little specimen.


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.

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