Silver

specimen number:
8911183

location:
Kearsarge Mine, Houghton Co., Michigan, USA

description:
Classic beautifully crystallized example of native silver. A floater that is complete all around and in excellent condition. The quality is very high. The specimen comes with a previous label from the Alton collection.

Situated in Houghton County, Michigan, the Kearsarge Mine operated within the Portage Lake Volcanic Series, tapping into the copper-bearing Kearsarge Lode of Precambrian basalt and interbedded conglomerate. Discovered in 1886 and later absorbed into the Calumet and Hecla Mining Company, the mine extracted extensive native copper reserves alongside prized specimens of native silver. In these hydrothermal fissure deposits, native silver frequently crystallized as delicate wires, sharp octahedrons, or intimate intergrowths with native copper, forming iconic "halfbreed" specimens highly sought after by mineral collectors. Mining operations along the lode continued into the mid-twentieth century, leaving a legacy of world-class silver specimens from the Lake Superior copper district.

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