Marshite

An exceptional specimen featuring light honey-coloured marshite (copper iodide) in striated, massive form, intimately intergrown with layered zones of what appears to be antlerite or other secondary copper minerals. Specimens of this mineral are rarely encountered, and is considered one of the marquee species sought by advanced collectors. This piece originates from the renowned international collection of Peter Tarassoff, further enhancing its provenance and desirability.

This specimen comes from the legendary Chuquicamata Mine, located approximately 15 km north of Calama. Chuquicamata is a classic porphyry copper deposit and one of the world’s largest open-pit copper mines, having produced over 31 million tonnes of copper between 1915 and 1997. The mine is now part of Codelco’s Norte Division, integrated with nearby operations including Radomiro Tomic and Alejandro Hales. With active collecting no longer possible and much of the historic material long dispersed, important marshite specimens from this locality have become very scarce, making examples such as this highly significant and difficult to replace.