Barite

specimen number:
2062470

location:
Jebel Ouichane, Guelaia Cercle, Nador, Oriental, Morocco

description:
Attractive thin bladed gemmy blue crystals of barite coming off matrix. This is in good condition. From 2013.

Jebel Ouichane, located near Nador in the Oriental region of Morocco, is a historic mining district historically worked for iron ore, with active extraction scaling up during the French protectorate in the early to mid-20th century before eventually winding down as commercial iron operations ceased. Geologically, the area is characterized by iron-ore-bearing skarns developed within Jurassic and Cretaceous limestones that interacted with magmatic-hydrothermal fluids. The district gained global renown among mineral collectors due to a notable find around 2015 of exceptional, gem-quality blue barite. These sought-after specimens occur as transparent, blade-like tabular crystals and rosettes with a striking sky-blue color, formed through epigenetic crystallization within open vugs and fractures in the host rock.

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