Provenite

Banite (Rhodope Mountains)

AreaDraft data

41.6167° N, 25.0167° E · ± 10 km

Aquamarine from Smolyan Province, Bulgaria, with photos of specimens from this locality.

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Minerals found here

Aquamarine

Aquamarine at Banite (Rhodope Mountains)

Water-clear, ice-blue aquamarine crystal 1.8 cm long from Banite, Rhodope Mountains, Bulgaria.
Water-clear, ice-blue aquamarine crystal 1.8 cm long from Banite, Rhodope Mountains, Bulgaria.
Photo: Robert M. Lavinsky · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source
Formula
Be₃Al₂Si₆O₁₈
Morphology
Prismatic crystal with a complex, lightly etched pyramidal termination
Typical size
About 1.8 cm
Color / luster
Ice-blue, water-clear
Surface features
Lightly etched termination
Availability
Scarce
History
The pictured crystal was reportedly collected before the 1930s and came from the National Museum in Sofia

Sources: SRC-799

About Aquamarine →

Geology of the locality

Region
Smolyan Province
Country
Bulgaria

Village in the Central Rhodopes; coordinate (41°37'N 25°01'E) is the village from Wikipedia.

Sources: SRC-798

Sources

  1. SRC-798 · Website
    BaniteWikipedia contributors · Wikipedia
  2. SRC-799 · Website
    File:Beryl-237532.jpgRobert M. Lavinsky · 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.