Orpiment

specimen number:
2063599

location:
Quiruvilca Mine, Santiago de Chuco, La Libertad, Peru

description:
Very choice miniature specimen for the species and locality, translucent orange semi lustrous to lustrous crystals of orpiment measuring to 1.8 cm in length are forming an attractive cluster without matrix. Typical of these, some damage is present, the condition of this current piece however better than most. The specimen comes with a previous label from the collection of Ray DeMark.

Located in Santiago de Chuco Province, La Libertad, Peru, the Quiruvilca Mine is a famed hydrothermal vein deposit hosted within Miocene volcanic rocks of the Calipuy Formation. The district exhibits clear mineral zoning centered around copper-rich enargite, transitioning outward into lead-zinc-silver zones and outer stibnite-bearing zones. Documented mining began as early as 1789, with major modern commercial underground extraction operating throughout the 20th and early 21st centuries for base metals and silver. Highly prized by mineral collectors worldwide, Quiruvilca has produced outstanding fine specimens of enargite, orpiment, realgar, bournonite, seligmannite, and lustrous pyrite.

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