Wulfenite

specimen number:
2072270

location:
Touissit, Oujda, Morocco

description:
Yellow platy lustrous crystals of wulfenite on matrix. In good condition with very minimal damage present.

The Touissit Mine, located in the Jerada Province of the Oriental Region in Morocco near the Algerian border, is one of the world's premier localities for secondary lead and zinc minerals. Geologically, the deposit is part of the Touissit-Bou Beker mining district, where mineralization occurs within a thick sequence of Middle Jurassic (Bajocian) dolomites. The site is world-famous for its wulfenite specimens, which typically manifest as exceptionally sharp, tabular crystals with a range of colors from honey-yellow to deep butterscotch and caramel orange, often found in association with cerussite and anglesite. Historically, mining in the district began in the early 20th century, specifically around 1920, and saw massive industrial expansion throughout the mid-1900s under various French and Moroccan companies. While the large-scale industrial quarrying and underground mining for lead and zinc ores transitioned toward closure in the late 1990s and early 2000s due to depleted reserves, the mine remains a legendary name in mineralogy. Today, it is revered by collectors for having produced some of the most aesthetic and crystallographically perfect wulfenite specimens ever recovered from the African continent.

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