Pyrite

specimen number:
1115247

location:
Ampliacion a Victoria Mine, Navajun, La Rioja, Spain

description:
A loose classic bright lustrous golden sharp cubic crystal of pyrite. In good condition with very minimal micro-damage present. The largest dimension provided is on a diagonal from corner to corner.

The Ampliacion a Victoria mine, located near the village of Navajun in the La Rioja region of northern Spain, is an active extraction site widely recognized for producing sharp, geometric pyrite crystals. Geologically, the deposit is situated within the Cretaceous sedimentary strata of the Cameros Basin, specifically the marls and shales of the Urbion Group. The mineralization originated through hydrothermal metamorphism, where low-temperature sulfur-bearing fluids reacted with iron-rich sediments to form exceptionally well-developed cubic, cubo-octahedral, and pyritohedral crystal aggregates within the soft clay-rich layers. Following initial regional exploration permits in 1965, official mining concessions for Section C under the name Ampliacion a Victoria were granted in May 1983. Since then, specialized open-cast and small-scale mechanical operations have systematically worked three distinct mineralized levels, continuing steady production into the twenty-first century to supply the global educational and specimen markets.

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