Minerals from Spain

Spain has a long mining history and produces a wide range of mineral specimens, some of which are highly regarded by collectors.

The most famous locality is probably the La Unión area in Murcia, particularly the Mina Matilde and other old lead-zinc workings. These mines have produced excellent baryte specimens – typically golden, bladed crystals – as well as fluorite, galena, and pyrite. The fluorite here is often colour-zoned and can be quite striking.

Asturias, in the north of Spain, is another key region. The Moscona and Emilio mines have yielded good quality fluorite, baryte, and calcite, often found together. The fluorite crystals are usually yellow to honey-coloured, often with sharp cubic habits, and occasionally with inclusions or overgrowths of other minerals.

The Riotinto area in Huelva province is one of the oldest mining districts in the world. While primarily industrial, it has produced chalcopyrite, pyrite, and other sulphides, some in large and aesthetic crystal forms. The pyrite cubes from Navajún, though technically a different area (La Rioja), are also well known – famous for their incredibly sharp, naturally occurring cubic forms in marlstone matrix. These are widely available and often seen in collections.

Spain has also produced quartz, aragonite, and celestine from various quarries and smaller workings, though these are usually of more local or micromount interest. Some of the quartz from the Pyrenees can be well-formed, and blue aragonite has occasionally surfaced from Almería.

Older specimens may be labelled “Espagne” or “Iberian Peninsula,” especially in older European collections.

Spain