Quartz with Calcite (SIL-0005)

specimen number:
9273128

location:
Piedra Parada, Las Vigas, Veracruz, Mexico

description:

From a somewhat unusual find at this famous locality, the specimen shows aesthetically arranged crystals of gemmy purple double terminated quartz, this is the variety often called amethyst, to 3.0 cm in length by lustrous brown scalenohedral crystals of calcite. In excellent condition.

The Piedra Parada extraction zone, located near the village of Piedra Parada in the municipality of Las Vigas de Ramirez, Veracruz, Mexico, is a world-famous locality celebrated for producing premier collector-grade amethyst crystal specimens rather than industrial metals or stones. Geologically, the deposit sits within a mountainous volcanic landscape at the southern terminus of the Sierra Madre Oriental, where mineralization is hosted within Tertiary-aged vesicular andesite formations. The distinct, elongated prismatic quartz crystals and pale lilac-to-deep violet amethyst scepters formed inside open gas cavities (vesicles) from volatile-rich, low-temperature hydrothermal fluids containing trace amounts of ferric iron. The history of specimen extraction in the rugged cliffs around Piedra Parada began on a casual basis by local villagers during the mid-20th century, but structured mining operations expanded dramatically around 1980 when commercial specimen dealers leased the properties and introduced pneumatic equipment. While various small-scale operations like La Cascada, Torrecellas, and La Mina Grande have experienced shifting levels of activity, localized, hand-tool extraction by resident miners has continued consistently well into the 21st century to supply the global mineral specimen market.

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