Argentiera Mine (Argentiera della Nurra Mine), Sassari, Sassari Province, Sardinia, Italyi

Regional Level Types
Argentiera Mine (Argentiera della Nurra Mine)	Mine
Sassari	Commune
Sassari Province	Province
Sardinia	Autonomous Region
Italy	Country

Syngenetic submarine exhalative mineralization (Ni-Co-As-Sb-Fe-Pb) and late Hercynian Pb-Zn-Ag-Sb veins cutting the Palaeozoic basement, located along the northwestern coast of Sardinia in the historical district of Nurra.
A stratiform sub-paragenesis (willyamite, galena, jamesonite, pyrite, marcasite, and ullmannite) exists in the basement, in connection with Silurian graphite-siderite-phyllite black shale facies.

The Pb-Zn-Ag-Sb deposit was known to the Ancient Romans, as some artefacts (fibulae and weapons), found by Alberto La Marmora [Alberto Ferrero della Marmora] in ancient mining works, demonstrate (La Marmora, 1860; Ottelli, 1997). Ag-bearing galena was also exploited during the Middle Ages by the Pisans, as demonstrated by a document dated 1131, in which Judge Gonario II of Torres gave one half of Monte dell'Argentiera to the Primatial church of Santa Maria Maggiore (the Cathedral) of Pisa. In more recent times, exploitation rights were granted to Marquise Caterina Angela Tola di San Saturnino in 1867, Société Anonime Minière et Metallurgique Sardo-Belge (1870-1872), Company L. De Laminne of Liège (1872-1873), Compagnia Generale delle Miniere (1874-1889) and Società di Correboi [later taken over by the French company Peñarroya] (1890-1963). Argentiera mine, during the recent exploitation period (almost 100 years), was one of the most important Sardinian mines for silver extraction from lead ore (Ruju, 1996; Fadda, 1997). The main mineralised vein, which cropped out at Miniera Vecchia (to the south of Argentiera village) and La Plata (to the east), dips 45° W with an average width of 5-15 m. Underground workings reached the depth of 500 m below the surface, i.e. 365 m b.s.l.

Over 40 mineral species have been described from the main deposit, various prospecting excavations, and old dumps (e.g., Barelli, 1835; Jervis, 1881; Lovisato, 1902; Del Caldo et al., 1973; Mariani & Scaini, 1978; Venerandi Pirri, 1992; Fadda, 1997; Orlandi & Gelosa, 2007). A series of mineral crusts and speleothems currently forming in the abandoned tunnels and shafts of the Pb-Zn-As-Sb mine have been recently sampled and analysed (Ara et al., 2013). Over 20 crystalline phases have been determined, among which many sulphates (baryte, copiapite, epsomite, gypsum, jarosite, melanterite, metavoltine, and sideronatrite) and carbonates (aragonite, calcite, dypingite, giorgiosite, hydromagnesite, and hydrozincite). Also pseudoboleite, hematite, akaganeite, goethite, lepidocrocite, and todorokite have been found. The most interesting paragenesis (akaganéite, dypingite, giorgiosite, and hydromagnesite) has been discovered on a nail that has provided both iron and magnesium necessary for the mineral formation.

Note: Some authors have erroneously included "tantalite" in the list of minerals from Argentiera della Nurra mine, probably in consequence of a misinterpretation of the general assertion of Lovisato (1898) about the presence of tantalite in quartz veins in the Palaeozoic basement between Capo dell’Argentiera and Capo Falcone. However, the real locality reported by Lovisato is Istintino (nowadays Stintino).

Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality

References