Latitude & Longitude (WGS84):	38° 27' 43'' North , 1° 28' 18'' West
Latitude & Longitude (decimal):	38.46222,-1.47194
GeoHash:	G#: eyyfy9b4t
Locality type:	Group of Mines
Köppen climate type:	BSk : Cold semi-arid (steppe) climate
Nearest Settlements:	Place Population Distance Albatana 855 (2012) 12.8km Jumilla 25,685 (2012) 12.9km Ontur 2,431 (2018) 17.1km Hellín 30,976 (2014) 20.6km Tobarra 7,884 (2012) 24.0km

Lamproites (7.2-7.6 My).

Some older literature uses Cabo da Gata as location.

The apatite rich rock was used as phosphate fertiliser.

Historic and world-famous site especially for its magnificent crystals of Fluorapatite known since the eighteenth century. The species was named "Chrysolithe d'Espagne" (by Romé de L'Isle) and was also known by the names "Spargelstein" (Werner) and "Esparraguina" (in Spanish) for the resemblance of the crystals with stems of the asparagus.

The specimens were analyzed for the first time by Vauquelin (1797) classifying them as calcium phosphate. Proust found the presence of fluorine in this mineral. The crystals were also studied by the crystallographers Romé de L'Isle, Haüy, Michael Levy, Schauf Albrecht, and Heinrich Adolf Baumhauer among others, which gives us a clear idea of the importance of this historic site. A detailed account about the history of this locality can be found in Calvo (2015).

The deposit is related to post-magmatic alteration of rare volcanic (or subvolcanic) rocks of ultra-potassic composition called lamproites known historically as "Jumilitas" (through the town of Jumilla, which is the most important town near the outcrops) associated with diapiric outcrops of Keuper facies (Triassic age), diapiric movements (Miocene age) and volcanic extrusions of Upper Pliocene age.

Inside vacuoles in the altered parts of the volcanic rock, the magnificent specimens of Fluorapatite can be found together with a complex paragenesis, e.g. Pseudobrookite and the rare borate Yuanfuliite.

Regions containing this locality

Eurasian Plate	Tectonic Plate
Europe	Continent
Iberian Peninsula	Peninsula

Regional Geology

This geological map and associated information on rock units at or nearby to the coordinates given for this locality is based on relatively small scale geological maps provided by various national Geological Surveys. This does not necessarily represent the complete geology at this locality but it gives a background for the region in which it is found.

Click on geological units on the map for more information. Click here to view full-screen map on Macrostrat.org

Miocene 5.333 - 23.03 Ma ID: 3134164	continental molasse Age: Miocene (5.333 - 23.03 Ma) Lithology: Major:{marl}, Minor{conglomerate,limestone,gypsum} Reference: Asch, K. The 1:5M International Geological Map of Europe and Adjacent Areas: Development and Implementation of a GIS-enabled Concept. Geologisches Jahrbuch, SA 3. [147]
Late Cretaceous 66 - 100.5 Ma ID: 3187840	Mesozoic sedimentary rocks Age: Late Cretaceous (66 - 100.5 Ma) Lithology: Sedimentary rocks Reference: Chorlton, L.B. Generalized geology of the world: bedrock domains and major faults in GIS format: a small-scale world geology map with an extended geological attribute database. doi: 10.4095/223767. Geological Survey of Canada, Open File 5529. [154]
Triassic 201.3 - 251.902 Ma ID: 2505134	Age: Triassic (201.3 - 251.902 Ma) Description: Sandstone, conglomerate, dolomite, limestone, clay and gypsum Lithology: Conglomerate, sandstone, limestone, gypsum and variegated clay Reference: Mapa Geológico de la Península Ibérica, Baleares y Canarias a escala 1:1.000.000. Instituto Geológico y Minero de España. [77]

Data and map coding provided by Macrostrat.org, used under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License

References

External Links