Elbaite

specimen number:
1712737

location:
Baixao Mine, Minas Gerais, Brazil

description:

An attractive gemmy crystal of terminated elbaite. This weighs 0.84 g.

The Baixio mine, located in the municipality of Sao Geraldo do Baixio within the Doce Valley region of Minas Gerais, Brazil, is a granitic pegmatite deposit primarily known for producing sharp smoky quartz, elestial citrine, and tourmaline mineral specimens. Geologically, the locality belongs to the Eastern Brazilian Pegmatite Province, where complex, highly fractionated granitic pegmatite bodies intruded Precambrian metamorphic country rocks. Late-stage, volatile-rich hydrothermal fluids cooling within these pegmatite pockets allowed for the growth of large, well-formed quartz crystals and associated minerals like tantalite. Small-scale mining and artisanal specimen extraction by local garimpeiros have occurred intermittently at the site since the mid-twentieth century, with localized digging continuing to supply specialized collectors and the international mineral market into the 2020s.

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