Rodalquilarite with Alunite, Quartz

specimen number:
2354129

location:
Wendy pit, Tambo Mine, Vicuna, Elqui, Coquimbo, Chile

description:
Beautiful yellow green crystals of rodalquilarite scattered across a white alunite crystal covered matrix. Minor quartz present. This is quite choice for the species. The specimen comes with a previous label from the collection of Eric Laskowski.

Located in the Elqui Province of Coquimbo, Chile, the Wendy pit forms a key segment of the Tambo Mine within the high-altitude El Indio gold-silver-copper district. Geology at the site is dominated by Cenozoic volcanic and subvolcanic rocks that underwent intense epithermal alteration and hydrothermal fracturing, creating mineralized veins rich in precious metals and tellurium species. Commercial mining targeted these high-grade ore bodies primarily during the late twentieth century, attracting mineral collectors and research scientists due to the deposit's rich array of rare secondary minerals. Among these notable species is rodalquilarite, an uncommon iron tellurite mineral that forms distinct greenish to yellow-green micro-crystalline crusts and aggregates within oxidized, tellurium-bearing zones of the open pit.

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