Fluorapatite

specimen number:
2072201

location:
Cerro de Mercado Mine, Durango, Mexico

description:
Glassy gemmy yellow green crystals of fluorapatite scattered across matrix. Typical of these some damage present, this one still very nice.

The Cerro de Mercado Mine, located on the northern outskirts of Durango City, Mexico, is one of the world's most famous and geologically significant iron deposits. Geologically, it is a massive Kiruna-type iron oxide-apatite (IOA) deposit consisting primarily of hematite and magnetite, which formed approximately 30 million years ago from iron-rich volcanic fluids or melts associated with the Cenozoic Chupaderos caldera. The site is mineralogically renowned for producing large, gemmy, yellow-green fluorapatite crystals that occur in vugs within the massive iron ore. Historically, the deposit was discovered in 1552 by Spanish explorer Gines Vazquez de Mercado, who mistakenly believed the mountain was solid silver. Actual industrial-scale mining began in the early 19th century and has continued nearly non-stop for over 200 years, with the mine evolving into a massive open-pit operation that remains a major source of iron ore for the Mexican steel industry today.

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