Vanadinite

specimen number:
2341318

location:
Mibladen, Midelt, Draa-Tafilalet, Morocco

description:
Dark red lustrous tabular crystals of somewhat neatly rounded naturally vanadinite crystals to 1.0 cm in size on matrix. These crystals exhibit color zoning going from an orange into a dark red. Unusual and in very good condition. The specimen comes with a previous label from the collection of Jan Erik Larsen.

Mibladen, located in the high plateau region of the Middle Atlas Mountains in Morocco, is a world-famous historic mining district with operations that expanded significantly during the French protectorate in the early to mid-20th century for lead and barite. Geologically, the deposit is situated within secondary sedimentary carbonate formations, where mineralizing hydrothermal fluids interacted with limestone and dolostone host rocks to form rich oxidized zones. Mineralogically, the district is globally renowned for producing exceptional, highly aesthetic specimens of orange-red vanadinite crystals, often associated with pristine barite, cerussite, and wulfenite, making it one of the most celebrated mineral localities in Africa.

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