Murcia

Mindat lists 199 minerals from the Region of Murcia, including three for which it contains the type locality – Barahonaite-(Al), Barahonaite-(Fe), and Cobaltarthurite. I suspect these three will primarily be of interest to systematic collectors, but there are other minerals from Murcia, too!

The Region of Murcia is best known mineralogically for its historic mining districts, particularly in the Sierra Minera de Cartagena–La Unión and surrounding areas. These districts have produced classic Mediterranean specimens of galena, sphalerite, pyrite, marcasite, baryte, anglesite, cerussite, smithsonite, and a wide variety of secondary lead and zinc minerals, many of which are highly aesthetic and well crystallised.

Mining has played a central role in the historical and economic development of Murcia for centuries, and the mineral heritage of the region remains an important part of its cultural identity.

In addition to its mineralogical importance, Murcia offers several geological and mining-related sites that are accessible to the public and of interest to tourists.

These include the Mining Park of La Unión, but an especially interesting one for some could be the Portmán Bay mining landscape – a bay almost destroyed by open-cast pyrite mining and the constant dumping of mine spoils. This area should be considered somewhat of a warning to us all, as profit driven mining ravaged an area.

Further reading

• https://www.mindat.org/loc-195473.html
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Region_of_Murcia
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portm%C3%A1n

We may have stock from various locales around Murcia, including

• Cabezo Negro de Tallante, Tallante, Cartagena, Murcia, Spain
• Camp dels Ninots, Caldes de Malavella, Selva, Girona, Catalonia, Spain
• Eugenia Mine, Cartagena, Murcia, Spain
• Herculano Mine, El Puntal, Campos de Golf area, Cartagena, Murcia, Spain
• La Reconquistada claim, Pastrana, Mazarrón, Murcia, Spain
• Precaución Mine, Cabezo de San Ginés, El Estrecho de San Ginés, Cartagena, Murcia, Spain
• San Camilo Mine, Vista Alegre, Cartagena, Murcia, Spain
• San Timoteo-Humboldt Mines, Pico del Águila, Cartagena, Murcia, Spain
• San Valentín Mine, La Unión, Murcia, Spain
• Sierra Minera de Cartagena-La Unión, Murcia, Spain
• Teresita Mine, Atamaría, Cartagena, Murcia, Spain
• Victoria Mine, Cabezo de San Ginés, El Estrecho de San Ginés, Cartagena, Murcia, Spain

If you’d like to view another province, use the following links: • Andalusia • Aragon • Asturias • Canary Islands • Cantabria • Castile-La Mancha • Castile and Leon • Catalonia • Extremadura • La Rioja • Murcia • Navarre • Valencia •

For all our Spanish stock:

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