Quartz

specimen number:
2312261

location:
Androvo Mine, Erma Reka, Smolyon, Bulgaria

description:

A cluster of light purple semi lustrous translucent quartz crystals. In very good condition. Many would refer to this material by its varietal name amethyst. Complete all around. Very good for the locality.

The Androvo Mine, situated near the village of Erma Reka within the Zlatograd and Smolyan region of southern Bulgaria, is part of the broader Madan ore field. While the wider district has a mining history dating back to ancient and medieval times, intensive modern industrial underground extraction in this specific area expanded significantly during the second half of the twentieth century under state-led industrialization, and operations continue today targeting base metals. Geologically, the deposit is located within the Central Rhodopean metamorphic dome, where Precambrian gneisses, amphibolites, and marbles are cut by complex hydrothermal vein systems and fault structures. Interaction between metal-bearing hydrothermal fluids and reactive carbonate host rocks formed significant metasomatic and skarn zones, which are internationally renowned among mineral collectors for producing exceptional crystallized specimens of manganoan calcite, barite, and various lead and zinc sulfides.

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