Atacamite (classic material)

Item Description

A classic specimen of the world-class Atacamites from the first place in the world where the species was found. Originally the type locality for Atacamite was attributed to the La Farola Mine, but since has been broadened to all of the Atacama Department. This is an older specimen and is loaded with dozens of sparkling, almost wet-looking, rich deep emerald green colored, bladed crystals of Atacamite measuring up to about 2 mm on matrix. A great, colorful "old time" specimen of this beloved copper hydroxyhalide. We have photographed the little crystals with a Canon MP-E 65 mm macro lens to better illustrate the quality.
From the collection of Daniel ("Dan") W. Behnke (July 31, 1932 - January 20, 2020) of Glenview, Illinois. Dan was an Associate Photographer of both the Mineralogical Record and Rock and Minerals magazines. He served as the Micromount chairman of the Midwest Federation of Mineralogical Societies from 1981 to 1988. He was elected to the National Board of Directors of the Friends of Mineralogy in 1989, and the Micromounters Hall of Fame in 2007. He was a beloved member of the mineral collecting community, most notably for his supreme skill at photomicrography. If you've ever seen any of Dan's micro photos on mindat.org, it's easy to see why he was one of the best in this field. You can read his obituary at https://www.nhscotthanekamp.com/obituaries/Daniel-W-Behnke?obId=10633628