Vanadinite

specimen number:
2341090

location:
Mibladen, Midelt, Draa-Tafilalet, Morocco

description:
Deep red lustrous tabular crystals of vanadinite measuring to 0.5 cm in size across the front of a white crystalline barite matrix. The crystals are interesting showing dark color bands bisecting the c-axis of each crystal. The specimen comes with a previous label from the collection of Jan Erik Larsen.

Mibladen, located in the high plateau region of the Middle Atlas Mountains in Morocco, is a world-famous historic mining district with operations that expanded significantly during the French protectorate in the early to mid-20th century for lead and barite. Geologically, the deposit is situated within secondary sedimentary carbonate formations, where mineralizing hydrothermal fluids interacted with limestone and dolostone host rocks to form rich oxidized zones. Mineralogically, the district is globally renowned for producing exceptional, highly aesthetic specimens of orange-red vanadinite crystals, often associated with pristine barite, cerussite, and wulfenite, making it one of the most celebrated mineral localities in Africa.

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