incorrect locations in Portugal

Hello,

I noticed many times that locations of quarry in Portugal are absolutly not accurate.
Using mindat, dados de pedreira web site, and google earth to cross the informations, i can tell you that it takes hour sometime to locate the quarry.

For example: Pedreira do vidro quarry, Alcobaca, Leiria district, Portugal.

Any one who will try to find this quarry around Alcobaca will turn around hours ..
The village named : Moita do poco must be added to get a more accurate information.

I will check if the name of the quarry is correct also.

But this is just a small example and i am sure that the list is long for the incorrect location and/or not accurate location.

Specially in that example because the "Serra de candeeiros" is crowded with quarry in some places.

I am leaving for a trip to Portugal in a couple of hours with two target, try to locate two quarry noticed on mindat.
I have crossed the infos with the "dados de pedreira" web site, in the two cases, the location given is wrong or does not exist under that registration name.

If for some members sharing informations is just give: half infos, wrong infos, fake data etc.... better not doing anythings.
Specially when it's a working quarry because every stones collected by any one is saved from destruction.

But may be my phylisophie of stone collecting in quarry is not the same for others.

Thanks to all for reading, good luck in your trip

Will be back in a couple of weeks

Michel

Well, why not help the Mindat community to improve the localities?
I upgraded your membership to level 1: you can now edit localities (see [manual.mindat.org]).

Olá Michele
The places and the quarries in Portugal are correct, simply who carried the information about calcites of this local in mindat didn't want to teach everything . In Portugal there is not legislation that defends our patrimony of minerals and it is simply a defense against people that take everything and they sell the samples a lot below the real value. Mainly in the summer, our country is invaded by hundreds of foreigners with the stone fever where they do what want.

Martins da Pedra

Thanks Uwe for upgrading me to level 1.

I don't knox yet how works the web site but for sure i will try my best to be helpfull.


Ola Martin

I understand your point of view about this old quarry.
I was mainly talking about active quarry because of the destruction of the minerals due to the work.

I remember a splendid, a fabulous geode of Calcite in a quarry.
The machine just cut half of the geode and everythings was lying on the floor and for long time.
From the pocket and down we discovered many wonderfull specimens of twinned calcites, (butterfly twin)
But the most extraordinary was the pocket with 3 big calcites biterminated cristal on the top of the pocket.
Normally the pocket is still in the quarry, i did not touch it , to give a chance to others to see it.

I never been to Portugal during the summer season so i don't know if your country is crowded with collector.
I also never meet any collectors in any place i have been, that's real.

But what do you mean by: they sell the sample below the real value??


I don't think that a law about "patrimony" protection of mineral is a good things.

Imagine that such law exist, what will happen?

No more access to the quarry during week day, good for the patrimony ?
I prefer a good sample in my collection that a crushed apatite, quartz, calcite etc... under the road or like concrete............. think about it.

I apologize in advance for coming to your country to look for mineral, i mainly go to the same quarry with the permission of the owner.
Thanks to all of them.
Thanks also for the warm welcome from portuguese people, that's the place where i feel good to travel since over two years with no feeling at all to take somethings from your patrimony.

Will be back in more than 2 weeks

Michel

Olá Michele
Well....my point of view is diferent . I think that everything should have a limit and to have appropriate legislation. For example in Spain here to the side is completely different in that pays her a price to prick for a certain time and with a limit of samples. Other places are simply hindered due to legislation. The real value of a sample is scientific and that doesn't have price . I already saw that you are a collector....a collector usually takes some samples and it is at the most with two for its collection and the other ones for a change. Unhappily there are people that non collected and they destroy everything.
I simply answered to your subject because I noticed for your tantrum that didn't go ease to find the quarry .

Martins da Pedra

Patrimony laws will mean fewer specimens being produced. The mines drill and blast and destroy most specimens. Take to their logical conclusion the laws would prevent mines from destroying specimens during their normal operations and thus prevent mining. Not permitting the collecting of fossils is a sure way to allow the natural weathering processes to destroy them. The laws want to preserve specimens for their people, but in many countries the people can't pay for the specimens nor the institutions or museums. With such laws, why would any specimens be saved? There is not financial upside for anyone to save them. Certainly the mines would wish to see all the specimens destroyed because saving them would only cost them money, sometimes a lot of money. If you are a building contractor in a country that has laws about archeological remains and start a building site that encounters same, the natural instinct is to bury them quickly and proceed with the job rather than loose thousands of dollars while "professionals" isolate your building site for months digging.

Rock Currier
Crystals not pistols.

Hello Rock

Yes I am also in agreement with your ideas, now for here it is very easy to take things of tassel. I think that everything has a limit and a price.

Martins da Pedra

Hello Martins,

Don't worry about that quarry, i won't change anythings in the datas given for severals reasons.

This is no more an active quarry
It's inside a regional park
It's dangerous, it's a dangerous quarry
and collector can't all the time have information without a little work by themself like prospecting.

The example that i made with that location was may be not the best example.

I have already made a change in Chas de tavares with the Bom Sucesso No 4 quarry previously Bom Sucesso No 2 quarry in front of the Bom Sucesso No 4.........

I should take that example when i started the topic, and in that example there is no excuse for not writting correct datas.

Anyway, i just come back from Portugal and i have met four Portugueses collectors in two days, it's four time more than in three years.

May be i will have chance to visit a collection one of this day and make some exchange with collectors too.

Good luck to you in finding good specimens

Michel