Ampliacion a Victoria Mine
41.9861° N, 2.1114° W · Exact (< 100 m)
Pyrite from La Rioja, Spain, with photos of specimens from this locality.
Minerals found here
Pyrite at Ampliacion a Victoria Mine
Exceptionally sharp natural cubes embedded in marl matrix
Photo: Robert M. Lavinsky · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source
Photo: Robert M. Lavinsky · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source
Photo: Robert M. Lavinsky · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source
- Formula
- FeS₂
- Morphology
- Cubes
- Typical size
- Commonly 1-5 cm; exceptional cube edges up to 12 cm
- Color / luster
- Brass-yellow with mirror-bright metallic luster
- Associated minerals
- Chamositechlorite groupchloritoidcookeitegypsum
- Surface features
- Flat, smooth to mirror-bright cube faces
- Twins
- Penetration twins reported
- Availability
- Commonly available
- History
- Deposit discovered in 1965 and worked specifically for mineral specimens and decoration
Sources: SRC-012
Geology of the locality
- Setting
- Collector-grade pyrite mineralization in Cretaceous marl
- Type
- Sedimentary
- Host rock
- Marl
- Region
- La Rioja
- Country
- Spain
Active open-pit mine/quarry exploited specifically for sharp cubic pyrite specimens. Access requires prior arrangement with the owners.
Sources: SRC-012
Sources
- SRC-012 · Database
Ampliacion a Victoria Mine, Navajun, La Rioja, SpainMindat.org · Mindat.org
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.