Provenite

Capurru Quarry (Osilo)

QuarryClosedDraft data

40.7400° N, 8.6781° E · ± 1 km

Amethyst from Sardinia, Italy, with photos of specimens from this locality.

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Minerals found here

Amethyst

Amethyst at Capurru Quarry (Osilo)

Reputed to have produced the finest Italian amethyst specimens

Sharp amethyst crystals on matrix, the largest 1.7 cm, from the Capurru Quarry near Osilo, Sardinia.
Sharp amethyst crystals on matrix, the largest 1.7 cm, from the Capurru Quarry near Osilo, Sardinia.
Photo: Robert M. Lavinsky · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source
Intense purple amethyst crystals set against a greenish vug lining, from the Capurru Quarry near Osilo, Sardinia.
Intense purple amethyst crystals set against a greenish vug lining, from the Capurru Quarry near Osilo, Sardinia.
Photo: Robert M. Lavinsky · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source
Small matrix specimen with deeply coloured amethyst crystals, one doubly terminated, from the Capurru Quarry near Osilo, Sardinia.
Small matrix specimen with deeply coloured amethyst crystals, one doubly terminated, from the Capurru Quarry near Osilo, Sardinia.
Photo: Robert M. Lavinsky · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source
Formula
SiO₂
Morphology
Sharp crystals in vugs, some doubly terminated
Typical size
Largest crystals about 1 to 2.2 cm on miniature to small cabinet matrix pieces
Color / luster
Pale to intense purple with brilliant luster (dealer descriptions)
Associated minerals
Calciteankeritedolomitebarytefluoritelaumontite (minerals listed for the locality)
History
Good specimens have appeared at intervals since the early 1980s; a notable pocket find was made in May 2008

Sources: SRC-415 SRC-416 SRC-426

About Amethyst →

Geology of the locality

Setting
Amethyst crystals grow in vugs of weathered, pale greenish-white rock in a quarry that produced road metal
Host rock
Weathered pale greenish-white rock (not further identified)
Region
Sardinia
Country
Italy

Abandoned quarry on the outskirts of Osilo. Coordinates converted from the degrees-minutes-seconds on the Mindat locality page.

Sources: SRC-415 SRC-416

Sources

  1. SRC-415 · Database
    Capurru Quarry, Osilo, Sassari Province, Sardinia, ItalyMindat.org contributors · Mindat.org
  2. SRC-416 · Article
    What's New: January 2009 (Sardinian amethyst from Osilo)The Mineralogical Record · 2009 · The Mineralogical Record
  3. SRC-426 · Website
    Wikimedia Commons file pages: Quartz-201163.jpg, Quartz-201164.jpg, Quartz-201242.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.