Cinnabar from Almadén Mine, Spain

Cinnabar from Almadén Mine, Almadén, Ciudad Real, Castile-La Mancha, Spain

Small scarlet-red specimens of Cinnabar from Almadén Mine, Spain.

The deposits at Almadén have been worked for nearly two millenia and produced a third of all Mercury in that time - it is the largest known Mercury deposit on Earth.

Under high magnification, crystals are visible; to the naked eye these specimens look to just be a crust over matrix.

Toxic mineral: Cinnabar is an ore of mercury and should be handled with care.