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Fontsante Mine, Tanneron, Var, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France

Proustite
Fontsante Mine, Tanneron, Var, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France

Photo: 2005 M. Kampf

Latitude: 43°32'44"N
Longitude: 6°50'15"E

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Ancienne mine de fluorine de Fontsante

A former fluorite mine, started in 1919 and closed in 1987. This large deposit is composed of 20 parallel veins hosted in gneisses. Here are their names from north to south:
- "Lenté" group (from A to E)
- "Nord" group (from 0 to 4)
- Saint-Barthélémy
- Saint-Augustin (known for its sulphides)
- Blanc
- Rouge
- Sainte-Barbe
- Clet
- "Sud" group (from 1 to 3)
- Figuier (known for its dark green cubic fluorites)

All these veins were operated underground by the SECME (Pechiney) company which produced here almost 2 000 000 tons of CaF2 ore.

According to P. Detang (1981), 4 mineralizing stages are known:
1) faulting of gneisses then low filling of cracks by purple and/or green fluorite (sometimes as "aztec pyramids") with white quartz.

2) Large filling of the main veins by green and/or white fluorite with sellaïte

3) deposits (in vugs of the previous stage) of yellow/colorless cubic fluorite with baryte and some sulphides such as galena, sphalerite, pyrite, marcasite, etc...

4) Very low deposits of quartz and carbonates (calcite, dolomite, ankerite...)

The finest fluorite specimens of Provence come from this famous deposit. It is also well known for its barytes and its silver minerals (proustite, acanthite, stephanite, etc...) Today, all adits are closed but some large dumps and many outcrops still remain.

Mineral List

32 entries listed. 31 valid minerals.

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References

- Mari G. (1979): Mines et minéraux de la Provence cristalline (Maures.Esterel.Tanneron). Ed. SERRES.(in French)
- Mari, G. (1977). "Fontsante (Var)." Minéraux et Fossiles, 25, 36-45.
- Mari, G. (2002). "La mine de Fontsante." Le Règne Minéral(43), 38-60.

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