An aid to labeling display quality barite specimens
For best results maximize browser window; AOL clients use IE; use refresh button for updates
Click picture to enlarge. Unless noted all specimens are from Bill & Diana Dameron’s barite suite
SPAIN
| Almería, Bacares, Cortijuelo mines, Beltraneja |  |
|
| Transparent equant blades to 2 cm, very thin, light beige-yellow, in 6.5 cm group. Collected 9/02 to 3/03 per Jordi Fabre. | ||
| Asturias, near Caravia, Emilio mine |    |
|
| Very clear fluorite cubes to 0.7 cm scattered on very white barite blades to 2.5 cm, 5 cm specimen; also translucent/white zoned blades to 4 cm, 7 cm specimen, some with barite druse, some with small scalenohedral calcites. Similar fluorite cubes on 5 cm piece. | ||
| Asturias, Berbes, La Cabaña |  |
|
| Classic cream colored opaque curved bladed groups to 3.5 cm on small clear purple fluorite cubes, 8 cm. | ||
| Asturias, Ribadesella, near Caravia, Jaimina |  |
|
| This noted fluorite locality also has barite; these crystals are about 3-4 cm. Anne Ondraka specimen, Jesse Fisher photo. | ||
| Asturias, Solis, Villabona mining area, Moscona mine |    |
|
| Sparkly white ball of thin blades, 1.8 cm, on 1 cm yellow fluorite cubes, 6 cm specimen. Also tabular blades with red inclusions, to 2.5 cm each on fluorite with dolomite, small pyrites, 7x7 cm overall. | ||
| Cantabria, Viérnoles, Las Nieves quarry OR Los Belones, Cartagena, Murcia |  |
|
| Orange tinged tabular crystal 4 cm, on small milky quartz crystals, 7 cm. Smaller barite blades are coated with quartz, but not the large one. Original label Portman, which would indicate Los Belones, but Jordi Fabre suggests Las Nieves, and indeed it perfectly matches MinDat.org specimens from there, and also has the quartz. | ||
| Catalonia, Tarragona, Priorat, Bellmunt del Priorat |  |
|
| El Molar and Bellmunt are villages near to each other with many ancient mines. The Barcelona Museum of Geology has some very good specimens from these mines. These elongated tabular barite crystals are coated by tiny marcasite crystals, and accompanied by galena crystals; 34x28x5.5 cm, Joan Rosell photo, perhaps from the Regia mine, according to Carles Curto (see below). | ||
| Catalonia, Tarragona, Priorat, El Molar |    |
|
El Molar is somewhat better known than Bellmunt. The first specimen with thin blades and iron staining is 19x8x7 cm; the second, with galena, is 19x14x8 cm. Both from the MGB and both photos by Joan Rosell; Curator Carles Curto of the museum thinks they are probably from the Linda Mariquita mine. The third, about 16 cm long with attractive thin blades and galena, is in the private Folch collection in Barcelona (see R&M 84/6). |
||
| Ciudad Real, Almadén, (El Entredicho mine) |   |
|
| Clear tabular crystals with bright red cinnabar crystal inclusions. Renato Pagano specimen; 1.7x4.2 cm specimen. Slightly smaller specimen is clear, glossy front face, 3x2 cm. | ||
| Guipúzcoa, Aizpea, Labores mine |  |
|
| Clear thin tabular crystals 4x6 cm with tiny chalcopyrite crystals and impressions of former chalcopyrite crystals. | ||
| Guipúzcoa, Goierri, Zerain |  |
|
| Clear thick crystal (top) 4.3x4.5 cm, completely covered by second generation of tiny pointed white barite blades (actually clear on one edge), with one 0.3 cm chalcopyrite crystal near bottom. | ||
| Murcia, near Cartagena, Los Belones |   |
|
| Thick, blocky very pale blue crystals to 3 cm, 7.5 cm. Also thin white blades to 2.4 cm in group, 5 cm. | ||
| Murcia, near Cartagena, Los Belones (OR Murcia, Sierra de Cartagena, La Unión, Mazarrón-Águias, Pastrana) |  |
|
| White tiny crystals forming delicate stalactites, 5 x5 cm specimen. Jordi Fabre thinks it may be from Los Belones, a development complex including a golf course sometimes labeled Portman. MinDat.org has a piece exactly like this labeled Delores Prospect, Pastrana, Mazarrón-Águias, La Unión. | ||
| Murcia, Sierra de Cartagena, La Unión district, Teresita mine |   |
|
| Transparent blue tabular blades, longest 2.4 cm on edge, in cluster, 5 cm; more transparent, glossy tabular crystals to 3.5x5 cm in delicate group, light blue, 6.5x6.5 cm. | ||
| Murcia, Sierra de Cartagena, La Unión district, Victoria mine |   |
|
| Dark orange thin tabular crystals to 1.7 cm in tight group, 6x9 cm overall. Typical for mine thin to thicker orange to 1.4 cm blades in solid group. One 2 cm "spear" is quite different. Some dark brown in middle of crystals remains. Excellent condition, 5.5x5 cm. Also occurs as white crystals. | ||
BARITE SPECIMEN LOCALITIES
*© ALL CONTENTS ARE COPYRIGHT MATERIAL FOR REFERENCE ONLY; NOT FOR SALE OR OTHER USE