Apatite Crystals with Quartz & Magnetite - Durango, Mexico

This is a lustrous, lemon yellow, apatite crystal still in matrix from Cerro del Mercado (Iron Mountain) at Durango, Mexico. Two beautiful, transparent crystals can be found exposed on what could be considered the top of the specimen. The metallic mineralization on this specimen is magnetite, with the quartz acting as the matrix for both the apatite and magnetite.

At Cerro de Mercado numerous veins containing gemmy, lemon-yellow to greenish fluorapatite crystals cut through the hematite massif. These crystals have been collected for decades from the area's iron mines, but they have become much scarcer with recent mechanization of the mining operations.

The bright, lustrous apatite crystals form hexagonal shapes with off-center terminations. They are found in vugs, often associated with quartz and calcite. Most crystals are around an inch in length, though larger crystals up to about 4 inches long have been found.

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