Roselite on Calcite

specimen number:
2341036

location:
Aghbar Mine, Tansifte Caidat, Agdz Cercle, Zagora, Draa-Tafilalet, Morocco

description:
An excellent richly crystallized cabinet example for the species. Beautiful deep purplish red lustrous and translucent crystals of roselite measuring to 0.9 cm in size across the front of a calcite crystal covered matrix. In great condition. The specimen comes with a previous label from the collection of Jan Erik Larsen.

The Aghbar Mine, located within the Bou Azzer district of the Anti-Atlas mountains in Morocco, is part of a premier cobalt and nickel mining region with industrial exploration and extraction ramping up significantly under twentieth-century colonial and modern state operations. Geologically, the deposit is situated within the central part of the Bou Azzer-El Graara inlier, where Cryogenian serpentinite masses are faulted against Ediacaran volcanic and sedimentary formations, creating complex hydrothermal vein systems. Mineralogically, the mine is world-famous among collectors and researchers for yielding exceptional secondary arsenate and cobalt-bearing species, most notably brilliant purple roselite, calcite, and wendwilsonite, alongside rich assemblages of primary cobalt and nickel arsenides.

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