Baryte, Spain

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Can you help make this a better article? What good localities have we missed? Can you supply pictures of better specimens than those we show here? Can you give us more and better information about the specimens from these localities? Can you supply better geological or historical information on these localities?


Baryte, Spain
BaSO₄ Orthorhombic
Here will go a good picture of a Baryte from Spain and general remarks about the Baryte from this country. Here are some url's to some of the better Spanish Baryte specimens here on Mindat that can be considered for inclusion in the article. These, in most cases are just for temporary use until we can get images of the much better specimens that are almost certainly out there. We should also consider that there are probably localities out there with fine specimens that are not even mentioned on Mindat. Also in some instances there are sometimes pictures on Mindat, of specimens from a locality, but they were so ratty that I did not include them here, but there may also be really good specimens from there that we should talk about in this article.


Baryte
Spain
Berbes Mine, Berbes Mining area, Ribadesella, Asturias, Spain
[www.mindat.org]
[www.mindat.org]


Baryte
Spain
La Cabaña Mine, Berbes Mining area, Ribadesella, Asturias, Spain
[www.mindat.org]


Baryte
Spain
Moscona Mine, Solís, Llanera, Villabona mining area, Asturias, Spain
[www.mindat.org]
[www.mindat.org]
[www.mindat.org]
[www.mindat.org]
[www.mindat.org]
[www.mindat.org]
[www.mindat.org]
[www.mindat.org]
[www.mindat.org]
[www.mindat.org]
[www.mindat.org]
[www.mindat.org]


Baryte
Spain
Aizpea Mines, Zerain, Guipúzcoa (Gipuzkoa), Basque Country, Spain
[www.mindat.org]
[www.mindat.org]


Baryte
Spain
Nieves Quarry, Viernoles, Torrelavega, Cantabria, Spain
[www.mindat.org]
[www.mindat.org]


Baryte
Spain
Abarán, Murcia, Spain
[www.mindat.org]
[www.mindat.org]


Baryte
Spain
Dolores prospect, Pastrana, Mazarrón-Águilas, Murcia, Spain
[www.mindat.org]


Baryte
Spain
Cartagena, Sierra de Cartagena, Murcia, Spain
[www.mindat.org]


Baryte
Spain
La Unión, Sierra de Cartagena, Murcia, Spain
[www.mindat.org]
[www.mindat.org]
[www.mindat.org]


Baryte
Spain
El Estrecho de San Ginés, La Unión, Sierra de Cartagena, Murcia, Spain
[www.mindat.org]


Baryte
Spain
Victoria mine, El Estrecho de San Ginés, La Unión, Sierra de Cartagena, Murcia, Spain
[www.mindat.org]
[www.mindat.org]
[www.mindat.org]
[www.mindat.org]


Baryte
Spain
Lola Mine, La Unión, Sierra de Cartagena, Murcia, Spain
Lola Mine, La Unión, Sierra de Cartagena, Murcia,


Baryte
Spain
Marisol Mine, La Unión, Sierra de Cartagena, Murcia, Spain
[www.mindat.org]
[www.mindat.org]


Baryte
Spain
Portman, La Unión, Sierra de Cartagena, Murcia, Spain
[www.mindat.org]
[www.mindat.org]
[www.mindat.org]
[www.mindat.org]


Baryte
Spain
Teresita Mine, La Unión, Sierra de Cartagena, Murcia, Spain
[www.mindat.org]
[www.mindat.org]
[www.mindat.org]
[www.mindat.org]
[www.mindat.org]
[www.mindat.org]


Baryte
Spain
San Francisco mine, El Hembrar, Chóvar, Castellón, Valencian Community, Spain
[www.mindat.org]


Here are some notes about Baryte from Spain that may be useful to whoever writes this article.

Spain
Guadalajara Province, Hiendelaencina District, Hiendelaencina. Barite “Groups of parallel tabular, colorless crystals to 7 x 13 cm have been found. The main crystal forms are {110}, {010} and {011}. Les commonly, thick honey yellow crystals to 2 cm have also been found. Barite crystals, in some cases covered by a quartz druse, art the typical associates of freieslebenite crystals. Some barite crystals carry minute inclusions of silver sulfosalts.”1 This locality was active during the last half of the 19th century and is much better for its world class crystals and specimens of the rare silver mineral freieslebenite. Few good specimens of barite are likely to have survived undamaged.
1 Mineralogical Record, Vol. 23, 1992, p 245.

Guipuzcoa, Mutiloa, Troya Mine. “Fine but rare crystals of colorless barite have also come from the mine; an outstanding example owned by the Sección1 won the award for the finest specimen from the Basque country.”2
1 Sección de Mineralogía y Paleontología de Iberdrola, Bilbao, Spain. 2 Mineralogical Record, Bilbao, Spain show report (1991) Vol. 23, 1992, p 272.

Murcia Province, La Union District, Cartagena. “This year the barite specimens from Cartagena in the La Union district have been even more abundant than in previous years. Juan Pena of Seville had some fine examples at the Bilbao show: groups of subparallel, tabular, 3-cm crystals which are translucent with a milky white zone along the edges.1 “Jose Javier Savra of Cartagena (Murcia) had barite crystals in a variety of habits from some small, abandoned mines and prospects near Cartagena. The best examples have yellow, tabular crystals to 5 cm, partly coated by pyrolusite; there were found at a manganese prospect neat the Portman golf course, Murcia. Other interesting variations include blue crystals in parallel growth resembling pine trees.”2
1 Mineralogical Record, show report from Bilbao & Barcelona Spain, 1993.Vol. 25, 1994, p 222. 2 Mineralogical Record, Vol. 24, 1993, p 237.

Murcia Province, Portman, El Sabinar “Jose Javier Saura from Cartagena had other excellent barite specimens from various abandoned mines and prospects in the La Union district. The best of these include some cabinet specimens (up to 40 cm) consisting of yellow, bladed crystals to 5 cm partially coated by pyrolusite. He also had cabinet-size groups of 3-cm blue crystals. Both of these types were found in unnamed prospects at El Sabinar…”1
Mineralogical Record, show report from Bilbao & Barcelona Spain, 1993.Vol. 25, 1994, p 222.

Oviedo Province, Asturias Region, Arlós-Villabona District, Villabona, Villabona Mine. “In the Arlós-Villabona area barite occurs as laminar to tabular crystals having well-formed faces. A pinacoid, two prisms of the same crystallographic zone and one at right angles to them are the predominate forms, but other small forms exist which may correspond to the higher order prisms or even bipyramids. The color of barite from the Arlós-Villabona area ranges from translucent milky white (most common) to gray-blue and pale sky-blue (transparent to translucent) and yellowish white to golden yellow (found in 1990). These latter specimens are strongly reminiscent in shape and color to the larger classic examples from Cumberland England. The crystal sizes ranges up to 15 cm, but most crystals are closer to 6 cm. Some collectors and dealers have been exposing milky white Arlós-Villabona specimens to the sun, causing them to turn a rather dirty, pale blue color. However, the effect cannot duplicate the naturally colored specimens, which show a bright, clean blue color. Recently (late 1990, early 1991 some small, pearly pink barite crystals coating fluorite cubes and calcite crystals were found.”1 A nice specimen of white fluorite cubes to about 2 cm associated with calcite and a bleb of white barite and a crystal cluster 24 cm across of white stout spear shaped white barites from the Moscona mine is shown on page 75 of the sited article. “The Villabona mine near Oviedo, Asturias, continues to produce good cubic crystals of yellow fluorite to 2 cm, with short tabular blue barite crystals to 5 cm. Several stalactites of blue barite crystals (to 15 cm) were found this past season.”2
The fluorite mines in this district are much better known for their specimens of fluorite, some of which form striking associations with barite. The Arlós-Villabona district is about 20 km west of La Collada about halfway between the coast and the capital city of Oviedo. The Villabona mine was the first mine in the district and in 1975 mining shifted to the Cucona mine. In 1979 the Moscona mine started working. The Moscona mine is located a kilometer outside of the village of Solis which is a short distance northwest of Villabona.. Mining continues in the Arlós-Villabona district and the miners generally have specimens (1992)1
1 Mineralogical Record, Fluorite and Associated Minerals from Asturias, Spain, Carles Curto Milá & Jordi Fabre Fornaguera, Vol. 23, 1992, p 73. 2 Mineralogical Record, What’s New in Minerals, Vol. 23, 1992, p 436.

Oviedo Province, Asturias Region, Caravia-Berbes District. “In the Berbes area barite occurs in book-like clusters of thin, white, translucent to opaque, platy crystals with poorly defined faces and rounded edges. Some specimens have limonite inclusions. In the Caravia area, white, laminar, pearly and opaque, 1-cm book-like clusters have been found at the San Lino and Emilio mines.”1 Two pictures of good fluorite specimens of red violet fluorite cubes associated with bladed white barite are shown in the sited article. The fluorite mines in this district are much better known for their specimens of fluorite which sometimes form striking associations with barite.. The Caravia-Berbes deposits are on the northeastern coast of Spain. The most productive mines were the Ana and San Lino but they are closed now. The working are all open cast. Between the Ana mine and the seacoast at Vega beach are some mineralized zones known collectively as Berbes after the local village. After the Ana mine was closed this area was intensively worked by prospectors and collectors.1
1 Mineralogical Record, Fluorite and Associated Minerals from Asturias, Spain, Carles Curto Milá & Jordi Fabre Fornaguera, Vol. 23, 1992, p 73.



Click here to view Barite and here to view Best Minerals B and here for Best Minerals A to Z and here for Fast Navigation of completed Best Minerals articles.

Rock Currier
Crystals not pistols.



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 12/28/2012 08:48PM by Rock Currier.

Here is a neat barite with cinnabar inclusions from the Almaden district in Castile-La Mancha; a very large TN, details come on the link. Barite Cinnabar Spain Almaden

Classy little specimen. You must put this one in the article.

Rock Currier
Crystals not pistols.