Detailed information
Species
Lengenbachite, Dolomite
Dimensions
14 x 15 x 11
mm
Weight
3 g
Locality
Lengenbach Quarry Fäld, Binn Valley Wallis, Switzerland
Condition
No recorded repairs
Lengenbachite is an extremely rare complex silver copper lead arsenic sulphide named after the quarry in Switzerland where it was discovered in 1904. Lengenbach Quarry plays host to a staggering 51 Type Species (the place where they were first discovered), making it one of the most mineralogically diverse places on Earth. Lengenbachite only ever occurs in microcrystals and even a century on from its discovery only a handful of known localities are documented such is its rarity. This thumbnail specimen consists of a small piece of the classic white Dolomite 'marble' within which a small vein of dark grey Lengenbachite measuring 12 x 2 mm cuts through. Much of this vein is massive (completely infilled), but an open cavity at one end is filled with glossy black acicular Lengenbachite microcrystals. These are small, but really well formed for such a rare species.