Quartz

specimen number:
1712730

location:
Amatitlan, Eduardo Neri, Guerrero, Mexico

description:
Classic gemmy purple crystal of quartz, this is the variety known as amethyst. Classic locality.

The Amatitlan locality, situated in the municipality of Eduardo Neri in Guerrero, Mexico, is a famous mineral district renowned for producing highly sought-after, elongated amethyst crystals with vibrant purple tips and clear quartz bases. Geologically, the deposit is hosted within a series of Cretaceous limestone beds that were intruded by Tertiary volcanic rocks, leading to extensive hydrothermal fracturing and cavity formation. Low-temperature, silica-rich hydrothermal solutions circulating through these volcanic networks deposited quartz and amethyst within open pocket zones and veins. Mining at Amatitlan has primarily been characterized by small-scale, primitive underground artisanal operations conducted by local villagers rather than large-scale corporate ventures. While informal extraction has occurred for decades, intensive specimen mining and surface trenching peaked significantly between the early 1990s and the mid-2000s, with intermittent artisanal production continuing into the 2020s to supply the international mineral specimen market.

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