Pinkish-reddish Rhodochrosite, not especially intense in color, but very representative of this Spanish locality. It occurs associated with Quartz, forming compact crystalline masses with partially crystallized zones of translucent appearance.
Its interest lies in the rarity of the species in Spain, since El Pimpollar is one of the few Spanish localities where this species has been identified with certainty. For some time they were said to be rhodonites, but analyses proved that they were rhodochrosites; this particular piece was analyzed, which reinforces its value as a reference for the locality.
The El Pimpollar Mine is part of the Iberian Pyrite Belt, a major Paleozoic metallogenic province known for its massive polymetallic sulfide deposits. The mineralization occurs in Devonian–Carboniferous volcanic and sedimentary rocks formed by submarine hydrothermal processes of the VMS (Volcanogenic Massive Sulfide) type. Historically, it was mainly mined for its copper and iron content.
El Pimpollar Mine, Almonaster la Real, Comarca Sierra de Huelva, Huelva, Andalusia Spain (01/2013)
Specimen size: 7 × 5.8 × 4.2 cm = 2.76” × 2.28” × 1.65”
|
