Crater El Hoyazo
Níjar, Almería, Andalusia, Spain
The Hoyazo crater is the remnants of an underwater volcanic crater in the Cabo de Gata natural park in Almería, Spain.
It hosts a variety of interesting minerals including Cristobalite, Cordierite, Biotite, Plagioclase and Quartz – but the best known are the Almandine Garnets from the site, which are unbelievably plentiful in the ‘Rambla de las Granatillas’, or ‘Ravine of the Garnets’.
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In the 19th and 20th centuries the Garnet deposits from the site were commercially mined for abrasives, producing up to 6 tons of sand sized Garnet per day. A more recent attempt to commercialise this deposit for abrasives was made in 1996.
I’ve seen a few names for this site and must apologise as I don’t speak Spanish well enough to know if I’m getting these wrong.
- Rambla de las Granatillas
- El Joyazo
- El Hollazo
I do not know if collecting is allowed from this site; this website mentions some of the area being protected, and any trips planning to collect should confirm this with the local authority.
Further reading about this locale:
- https://www.mindat.org/loc-251976.html
- https://www.alexstrekeisen.it/english/vulc/hoyazo.php
- https://www.visit-andalucia.com/crater-del-hoyazo-walk-nijar/
If you are interested in other classic Spanish locales we may have stock from the following locales.
Spanish locales
Andalusia
- Cala Mines, Cala, Huelva, Andalusia, Spain
- Cerro Minado Mines, Almería, Andalusia, Spain
- Cortijo de la mina, Conil de la Frontera, Cádiz, Andalusia, Spain
- Crater El Hoyazo, Níjar, Almería, Andalusia, Spain
- Filón Sur open pit (Filón Sur Mine), Tharsis Mines, Tharsis, Alosno, Huelva, Andalusia, Spain
- La Encontrada Mine, Molvizar, Granada, Andalusia, Spain
- La Virgen Mine, Andújar, Jaén, Andalusia, Spain
- La Cabaña, Berbes mining area, Ribadesella, Asturias, Spain
- Moscona Mine, El Pontón de Solís, Corvera de Asturias, Asturias, Spain
- Villabona Mines (San Ismael; Santo Firme; Cucona), Villabona, Llanera, Asturias, Spain
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- Unión Campurriana Mines (La Presura Mines), Soto de Espinillla, Hermandad de Campoo de Suso, Cantabria, Spain
- Minglanilla, Cuenca, Castile-La Mancha, Spain
- Nazarena Mine, Almuradiel, Ciudad Real, Castile-La Mancha, Spain
- Barruecopardo Mine, Barruecopardo, Salamanca, Castile and Leon, Spain
- La Fregeneda, Salamanca, Castile and Leon, Spain
- Palazuelo de las Cuevas, San Vicente de la Cabeza, Zamora, Castile and Leon, Spain
- Profunda Mine, Cármenes, León, Castile and Leon, Spain
- Atrevida Mine, Bosc de Poblet, Vimbodí i Poblet, Conca de Barberà, Tarragona, Catalonia, Spain
- Berta quarry and mine, Sant Cugat del Vallès-El Papiol, Vallès Occidental-Baix Llobregat, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
- Monsant Mines, Hortsavinyà, Tordera, Maresme, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
- Osor Mines, Osor, Selva, Girona, Catalonia, Spain
- Puig de la Banya de Boc volcano, Llorà, Sant Martí de Llémena, Catalonia, Spain
- Sant Corneli Quarry (Can Savoia), Sant Corneli volcano, Fogars de la Selva-Tordera, Selva-Maresme, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
- Serrana Mine (Manganese Mine), El Molar, Priorat, Tarragona, Catalonia, Spain
- Toron Mines, Roca del Toron, Espinavell, Molló, Ripollès, Girona, Catalonia, Spain
- Coto San Guillermo, Jerez de Caballeros, Badajoz, Extremadura, Spain
- Mirabel, Cáceres, Extremadura, Spain
- Monchi Mine, Burguillos del Cerro, Badajoz, Extremadura, Spain
- Cabezo Negro de Tallante, Tallante, Cartagena, Murcia, 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 Mine, Pico del Águila, Cartagena, Murcia, Spain
- San Valentín Mine, La Unión, Murcia, Spain
- Teresita Mine, Atamaría, Cartagena, Murcia, Spain
For the rest of our Spanish stock, see below.
Spain
Minerals from Spain