Siderite with Quartz, Dolomite

specimen number:
2341309

location:
Iouriren Mine, Afella Ighir Caidat, Tafraout Cercle, Tiznit, Souss-Massa, Morocco

description:
Blocky lustrous rhombohedral crystals of siderite to 3.0 cm in size scattered throughout this floater grouping of glassy gemmy colorless crystallized quartz. Colorless rhombohedral crystals of dolomite are scattered throughout. No real points of attachment, this is in very good condition. The specimen comes with a previous label from the collection of Jan Erik Larsen.

The Iouriren Mine, located in the Anti-Atlas mountains near Tafraout in the Souss-Massa region of Morocco, is an open-pit and underground mining operation primary known for its Precambrian hydrothermal gold deposits operated under Akka Gold Mining. Geologically, the deposit consists of gold-bearing quartz veins and carbonate gangue structures cutting through Neoproterozoic Precambrian metamorphic host rocks. Active modern commercial extraction uncovered fine mineralized zones rich in sulfides and carbonates, making the locality notable among mineral collectors for high-quality specimens. Among these secondary gangue species, siderite occurs abundantly as well-formed tan to dark reddish-brown rhombohedral crystals, often associated with sharp quartz crystals and calcite matrix.

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