Silver

Here's a sample of dendritic silver crystals from the historic uranium and silver mine Port Radium. The mine, located on a peninsula along the eastern shore of Great Bear Lake in the Northwest Territories, was discovered during a 1900 field trip by James McIntosh Bell of the Geological Survey of Canada, who noted evidence of iron, copper, uranium, and cobalt. In 1930, prospector Gilbert LaBine found high-grade pitchblende and silver, leading to the establishment of Eldorado Mining and Refining Limited. Several settlements emerged in the 1930s, including Eldorado Mine with its own camp for employees. The site was mined for radium beginning in 1932, for uranium from the early 1940s to the 1960s, and for silver until 1982. Upon closure, the mine was decommissioned according to the standards of the time, with tailings covered, mine openings blocked, infrastructure demolished, and valuable equipment removed.