Detailed information
Dimensions
52 x 47 x 37
mm
Weight
192 g
Locality
Tazna Mine, Atocha-Quechisla District Nor Chichas Province Potosí Department, Bolivia
Condition
No recorded repairs
Known as one of the world's largest deposits of bismuth, the remote, high altitude Tazna mine in Atocha-Quechisla District, Nor Chichas Province, Potosí Department, Bolivia commenced mining in 1892 and continues today (2026). The mine appears to be so well established that satellite imagery even shows a football pitch! This miniature sized ore specimen, containing intergrown needles of dark steel-grey Bismuthinite and orange bismuth ochres is an older one, coming from the collection of Ernst Noske (c. 1885-1965) in Hamburg, Germany. To be that rich in bismuth ochres suggests that it probably came from relatively near to the surface. It is from the superb systematic collection assembled by the brothers Martin and Michael Günther (1951-2007 & 1956-2021).