Provenite

Amatitlan amethyst veins (Eduardo Neri)

AreaUnknownDraft data

17.8650° N, 99.7614° W · ± 10 km

Amethyst from Guerrero, Mexico, with photos of specimens from this locality.

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Minerals found here

Amethyst

Amethyst at Amatitlan amethyst veins (Eduardo Neri)

Zoned crystals with deep reddish-purple cores that fade to colourless or white rims and frequent phantoms

Small cluster of amethyst crystals with colour zoning, about 5 cm, from Amatitlan, Guerrero, Mexico.
Small cluster of amethyst crystals with colour zoning, about 5 cm, from Amatitlan, Guerrero, Mexico.
Photo: Robert M. Lavinsky · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source
Large spray of amethyst crystals with silky luster and purple colour zones, about 14 cm wide, from Amatitlan, Guerrero, Mexico.
Large spray of amethyst crystals with silky luster and purple colour zones, about 14 cm wide, from Amatitlan, Guerrero, Mexico.
Photo: Robert M. Lavinsky · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source
Pair of frosted amethyst crystals in a rabbit-ears arrangement from Amatitlan, Guerrero, Mexico.
Pair of frosted amethyst crystals in a rabbit-ears arrangement from Amatitlan, Guerrero, Mexico.
Photo: Robert M. Lavinsky · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source
Formula
SiO₂
Morphology
Elongated, fairly thick prismatic crystals tapering to ordinary quartz terminations; divergent clusters
Typical size
Crystals of 5 to 10 cm are not uncommon; rare crystals exceed 60 cm
Color / luster
Deep reddish purple, darkest in the core and fading to colourless or white at the outer zones and termination; silky luster on some
Associated minerals
Calcitequartz
Surface features
Often coated with manganese oxide; sharp phantoms common
History
Documented in a 2004 Mineralogical Record article; miners move between mines, so specimens are often labelled simply Amatitlan

Sources: SRC-421 SRC-422 SRC-429

About Amethyst →

Geology of the locality

Setting
Amethyst occurs in veins spread over roughly 20 x 20 km north of Amatitlan village and south of the Balsas River, worked by many shallow adits and cuts
Type
Hydrothermal
Region
Guerrero
Country
Mexico

Coordinates of the Amatitlan Diggings entry on Mindat, converted from DMS; individual mines (for example Valenciana) are spread over the vein area.

Sources: SRC-421 SRC-422

Sources

  1. SRC-421 · Database
    Amatitlan, Eduardo Neri Municipality, Guerrero, Mexico (Amatitlan Diggings)Mindat.org contributors · Mindat.org
  2. SRC-422 · Database
    Valenciana Mine, Amatitlan, Eduardo Neri Municipality, Guerrero, MexicoMindat.org contributors · Mindat.org
  3. SRC-429 · Website
    Wikimedia Commons file pages: Quartz-176364.jpg, Quartz-184667.jpg, Quartz-206062.jpgRobert M. Lavinsky (photographer; text by dealer) · Wikimedia Commons

Draft data from the Provenite workbook. Check entries against the cited sources before relying on them. Photos are open-licence images from Wikimedia Commons; the author and licence are given with each photo.