TXL91XXX: Group of large prismatic smoky Quartz crystals, some of them doubly terminated, with well-defined terminations and a uniform smoky grey colour. The specimen is in excellent condition and shows minor limonite coatings at the base.
The Caridad Mine is not one of the best-known workings in the Llano del Beal area, although it has occasionally produced interesting specimens such as this one.

Geologically, the Caridad mining concession forms part of the Cartagena-La Unión mining district, where the mineralization is related to Miocene hydrothermal veins hosted by the metamorphic rocks of the Alpujárride Complex. The circulation of mineralizing fluids produced a rich sulfide paragenesis and, during later stages, the crystallization of Quartz in cavities and fractures. Alteration of the sulfides gave rise to iron oxides and hydroxides, responsible for the limonite coatings.
Caridad Mine, Llano del Beal, Cartagena, Comarca Campo de Cartagena, Region of Murcia (Murcia)  Spain

Specimen size: 8.4 × 5.9 × 4.6 cm = 3.31” × 2.32” × 1.81”

Main crystal size: 5.6 × 3 cm = 2.20” × 1.18”