Quartz after Calcite

specimen number:
2341151

location:
El Hammam Mine, Ait Mimoune Caidat, Khemisset Cercle, Rabat-Sale-Kenitra, Morocco

description:
Very sharp terminated crystals of what were once calcite measuring to just under 3.0 cm in height, these now completely replaced by sparkling micro sugary crystallized quartz, set aesthetically across the top of matrix. In super condition. The specimen comes with a previous label from the collection of Jan Erik Larsen.

The El Hammam Mine, located in the central part of Morocco within the Meknes Prefecture region, is a major industrial and mineralogical locality with commercial mining operations dating back to the 1930s. Geologically, the deposit is hosted within folded Paleozoic sedimentary and volcanic rocks that were affected by Variscan tectonics and later transtensional rifting events, forming extensive sub-vertical vein systems filled primarily with fluorite, calcite, and barite. Mineralogically, the mine is celebrated for producing world-class fluorite specimens, highly prized by collectors for their sharp cubic crystals, attractive transparency, and distinctive color variations ranging from soft sea-foam green to vibrant yellow.

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