Dolomite

specimen number:
2063566

location:
Azcarate Quarry, Eugui, Esteribar, Navarre, Spain

description:
A classic Spanish specimen with glassy gem colorless twinned crystals of dolomite in a cluster with very little attached matrix. This is in excellent condition all around, a choice miniature. The specimen comes with a previous label from the collection of Ray DeMark.

Located near the village of Eugui in the Esteribar valley of Navarre, Spain, the Azcarate Quarry is a world-renowned magnesite deposit formed by hydrothermal replacement of Carboniferous marine carbonates. Mining operations began in the mid-twentieth century to extract high-purity magnesite for industrial refractories, uncovering vast sedimentary carbonate sequences cut by mineral-rich hydrothermal veins. The quarry gained international fame among mineral collectors for producing extraordinary, water-clear to milky dolomite crystals, celebrated for their exceptional transparency, sharp rhombohedral form, and frequent simple or penetration twinning. While commercial magnesite extraction remains the primary focus of the site, specimens of twinned dolomite and associated sparry magnesite from this locality are considered among the finest examples of the species ever recovered.

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