Fluorite specimens from Sant Marçal mines usually appear as aggregates of cubic crystals, defined, sometimes sprinkled or partially covered by quartz crystals. Yellow to greenish tones are the usual ones. Specimens with violet to bluish or green colors (depending on the type of incident light) are much less frequent and highly appreciated by collectors. These specimens we offer were collected at the beginning of the 70s. In this specimen we can observe cubic crystals with this bluish to greenish tone, translucent and disposed on a characteristic ochy "pegmatite" matrix. They are partially covered with small but brilliant quartz crystals.

The Sant Marçal mines (also known as Matagalls mines) are located in the Montseny massif, on the eastern slope of the Matagalls peak (1,700 m). Mining works were carried out at 1,250 to 1,350 m of altitude. The municipality corresponds to Viladrau. Mining in this type of deposits in this area and surrounding areas had been focused on the extraction of minerals of Pb, Zn, F and Ba. Together with the Osor and Tagamanent deposits, the Rigròs main vein from Sant Marçal mines is one of the most important in terms of fluorite extraction. Although there are other less thin mineralized veins in the area. These veins are embedded in granodiorite rock, which locally present metric dikes with a pegmatite texture. the granodiorites are usually altered to "sauló" (coarse-grained sand with micas, clays and quartz grains) and in some specimens it forms part of the matrix. The paragenesis of these veins: fluorite, baryte, galena, pyrite, chalcopyrite and quartz (often amethyst variety). They were mined until the mid-90s and have been partially restored. Currently this area belongs to the Montseny Natural Park, so the collection of specimens is totally prohibited.

 

 

Size: 5.7 x 4.2 x 3.6 cm.
Main crystal: 2.2 cm.
Found in ca. 1970's.

Fluorescent under long wave UV