Vanadinite with Barite

specimen number:
2292353

location:
Mibladen, Morocco

description:
Sparkling micro crystals of vanadinite across a bladed barite crystal matrix. In good condition with minimal micro-damage present.

The Mibladen mining district, located near Midelt in central Morocco, sits in a geological transition zone between the High and Middle Atlas Mountains. The regional geology is dominated by Jurassic-age carbonate strata, including limestones and dolomites, which host stratabound lead-zinc-baryte deposits. Historically, underground mining operations began in the 1920s to extract industrial lead from primary galena ores. When commercial mining ended in 1976, local populations shifted to artisanal mining focused entirely on specimen mineralogy. The district became globally famous for its secondary lead minerals, particularly vanadinite, which formed in the near-surface oxidation zones of the deposit. This oxidation occurred as circulating, oxygen-rich surface fluids dissolved the underlying lead sulfides and combined them with vanadium weathered from surrounding volcanic rocks and clays, precipitating bright red, hexagonal vanadinite crystals in the empty cavities of the limestone and barite.

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