Navajún

La Rioja, Spain

Navajún is a small village in La Rioja which is famous worldwide for the production of fine cubic pyrite specimens.

Mindat lists twelve mineral species from the site, but realistically Navajún is known for pyrite, pyrite, and more pyrite – some of the best worldwide.

The area contains the Ampliación a Victoria mine, but pyrite can be found in various areas around Navajún.

The pyrite here is typically cubic with excellent quality mirror-like faces. Intergrown cubic crystals are common too. The crystals range from several millimeters to very large cubes of even six or seven centimeters.

It often occurs on a grey-white marl matrix, which is very soft and friable.

Pyrite specimens from this locale ‘on matrix’ have often been glued back down, as they do pop off the matrix with ease.

 

Further reading

 

If you are interested in other classic Spanish locales we may have stock from the following locales.

Spanish locales

Andalusia Aragon Asturias Canary Islands Cantabria Castile-La Mancha Castile and Leon Catalonia Extremadura La Rioja Murcia Navarre Valencia  

For the rest of our Spanish stock, see below.

Spain

Minerals from Spain