This Specimen has been sold.
3.2" Blue Bladed Barite, Quartz and Chalcopyrite Association - Morocco
This specimen contains chalcopyrite, quartz and barite. The barite has a blue coloration and bladed formation and the aggregated chalcopyrite crystals and large quartz makes for a beautiful association of minerals.
Barite, commonly spelled baryte, is well-known for its great range of colors and varied crystal forms and habits. = It is a heavy mineral consisting of barium sulfate, and typically has the chemical formula of BaSO4. The barite group consists of baryte, celestine, anglesite, and anhydrite. It is generally white to colorless and is the main source of barium.
Quartz is the name given to silicon dioxide (SiO2) and is the second most abundant mineral in the Earth's crust. Quartz crystals generally grow in silica-rich environments--usually igneous rocks or hydrothermal environments like geothermal waters--at temperatures between 100°C and 450°C, and usually under very high pressure. In either case, crystals will precipitate as temperatures cool, just as ice gradually forms when water freezes. Quartz veins are formed when open fissures are filled with hot water during the closing stages of mountain formation: these veins can be hundreds of millions of years old.
SPECIES
Barite, Quartz & Chalcopyrite
LOCATION
Bou Nahas Mine, Oumjrane area, Morocco
SIZE
3.2 x 2.2"
CATEGORY
ITEM
#91422