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- Minerals of Peru
- Indian Minerals from the Decan Traps - Click on button below
- Minerals of Northern Pakistan - Click on button below
- Guide to Buying Minerals online - Click on button below
- Birthstones - Click on button below
- Links to other pages
Also Click on links below for more information.
Minerals of Peru
Quiruvilca District
The Quiruvilca district is located 80 km east of Trujillo; the different working in this area are from 3.800 to 4.000 metres. This district is an old lead-zinc-silver-copper deposit located on layered volcanic rocks of the Miocene Calipuy Formation. The ore deposits have four distinct zones: Enargite zone, Transition zone, Lead-Zinc zone and Stibnite zone.
For mineral collectors Quiruvilca best known for its fine Pyrite (in different crystalforms: pyritohrdrons, octahedrons, dodecahedrons and cubes), Orpiment (among the best orpiment in the world: found in crystals up to 7 cm in size with bright orange colour) , Hutchinsonite (the world's finest for the species, in black to silver black prismatic crystals) and Enargite (in showy specimens in well defined crystals sometimes encrusted with pyrite), but here it is possible find many other minerals of good quality for collector: Arsenopyrite (uncommon in good specimens, but when found very attractive in crystals 2 cm long), Dolomite, Enargite, Galena, Sphalerite, Stibnite, Tetraedrite, Apatite, Barite, Baumahurite, Bournonite (crystals 3 cm sometimes in associations with pyrite and calcopyrite), Calcite, Chalcopyrite, Scheelite, Wurtzite, etc.
Pasto Bueno District
The Pasto Bueno district is located in the northern Cordillera Blanca approxumately 90km east of the Pacific coast with elevations from 3.300 to 5.000 metres. Pasto Bueno is a vein-type tungsten deposit, mineralization occurs in steeply dipping quartz veins associated with the late tertiary quartz monzonite consuco stock. In this district are located the famous Huayllapon mine, La Magistral mine and Mundo Nuevo mine andTamboras mine.
Near mineral collectors Pasto Bueno is known for its Pyrite, Fluorite (occurs as pale green crystals often in associations with quartz, rarely as fine octahedrons to 8 cm on and associated with hubnerite and quartz), Sphalerite, Orpiment (nice orange colour), Hubnerite (the world's best in the world!! in crystals up to 25 cm in lengh usually in associations with quartz xx; smaller hubnerite crystals can be traslucent in deep cherry red colour), Quartz, Tetrahedrite, Rhodocrosite (the Huyllapon mine has produced rhodochrosite of exeptional quality among the best in the world, the crystals occurs in several shades of pink to near red in association with fluorite or quartz), Fluoroapatite, Augelite, Scheelite.
Raura District
The Raura district is polymetallyc deposit of veins and replacement ore bodies located northeast of Lima, about 15 km due north of the town of Oyon. The main sedimentary unit in the Raura area is Cretaceus Machay Limestone; known mineralization covers about 24 square kilometres. The Raura depression contains several orebodies each with different mineralization: Catuvo ore body is predominantly in Pb-Zn; Lake Ninacochaore body is Ag-rich galena; Esperanza and Restauradora orebody. Minerals offered from Raura district are: Barite, Calcite, Calcopyrite, Fluorite, Gypsum (in crystals over a meter in lengh), Manganoancalcite, Pyrite, Rhodochrosite, Stibnite, Tetrahedrite, Saligmanite.
Pachapaqui District
The Pachapaqui district is in the northwest corner of Bolognesi Province; this area is extensively glaciated, the mining district occupies an area 18 km long by 9 km wide with different mine from about 3800 to 4500 metres. Three main types of deposit are recognized: fissure veins and replacement, contact metamorphic and stratabound. Minerals offered from Pachapaqui district are: Arsenopyrite, Bournonite (in black to gun metal blue till 2,5 cm in size), Calcite, Calcopyrite, Fluorite, Galena, Helvite (in bright canary-yellow tetrahedral crystals), Manganaxinite, Manganoancalcite, Pyrite, Quartz, Rhodochrosite, Rhodonite, Sphalerite, Tetrahedrite (highly lustrous crystals upto 2.5 cmin brilliant black to silver black group).
Huanzala Mine
The Huanzala mine is about 250 km north of Lima in the northwest corner of the Huallanca district. The ore bodies contain pyrite, lead-zinc, copper, silver-tin-tungsten minerals. This mine is very famous for the incredible pyrites and for the fantastic pink fluorites, probably the best in the world for quality and association. Here follows a list of the mineral occurrences in Huanzala, giving an idea of the richness of this mine complex: Acanthite, Alabandite, 'Apatite', Arsenopyrite, Barite, Bornite, Calcite, Canfieldite, Cassiterite, Chalcopyrite, Cosalite, Dolomite, Emplectite, Enargite, Fluorapatite, Fluorite
(most fluorite from Huanzala is colorless to green and more rarely in shades of purple to pink), Galena, Hessite, Hocartite, Hübnerite, Kaolinite, Lillianite, Natrolite, Polybasite, Pyrargyrite, Pyrite, Pyrrhotite, Quartz, Rhodochrosite, Rhodonite, Scheelite, 'Sericite', Silver, Sphalerite, Stannite, Stephanite, Tennantite, Tungstenite, Wittichenite, Wurtzite. The mine is still active, being one of the most important in the region nowadays.
Uchucchacua Mine
Uchucchacua is a silver-manganese-lead-zinc replacement vein and skarn district located about 30 km south of Huanzala, elavations range is from 4500 to 5100 metres; this mine is very famous among the collectors for the very nice samples of rhodocrosite, of gemmy quality and schalenoedral shape, the only ones can compete with the Sweet Home mine samples in Colorado and the South African ones; usually occurs on a dark manganese-rich matrix.
Recently in association with the rhodocrosites there some spectacular silver wires that create an association unique for attractiveness and mineralogical value. The mine is now the largest silver mine of Peru and the extracting activity is continuing. In addition to the silver, also Manganese is very common in the mine, with Rhodocrosite, but also with some rare minerals, among which Uchucchacuaite, a rare sulphur of Manganes, antimonium,silver and lead.
Other minerals interestin for collector are: Arsenpolybasite, Kutnohorite, Pyrrhotite, Acanthite, Fluorite, Proustite, Pyrargirite, Pyrite.The mine was of the most important silver mine in Perù and it appears that the mine will be in production for at least another ten years.
Cerro de Pasco
Cerro de Pasco Mine is exploited in a pit, 2400 x 2000 m wide and 500 m deep. Explotation developed in four steps: first the oxidation area; second the volcanic area; third a Pb-Zn-Ag massive sulphides; fourth a body with pyrrotite, marcasite and minor vivianite. By a geological point of view rocks in the area are mainly sedimentary, Paleozoic to Quaternary, and useful material is concentrated in Giurassic to Triassic limestones. Tectonic structures are oriented N-S; tertiary magmatic activity set here in place both effusive and intrusive bodies: the Rumiallana Pyroclastic conglomerate and quartzitic
monzonite dykes. Compressive stresses subsequently fractured both sedimentary and ignous rocks; hydrotermal solutions gradually deposited almost all the minerals in these fractures. In this mine have been indentified more than 58 minerals, many of them interesting only for systematic or micro resercher, the most important for mineral collectors are: Barite, Enargite, Galena, Pyrite, Sphalerite, Tennantite, Gratonite. In the same district is located the Colquijirca Mine that offer Chalcopyrite, Enargite, Native Silver.
Huaron Mines
Huaron lies 40 km south south-west of Cerro de Pasco; the mines are located on the east flank of the western Cordillera of the Andes at elevations ranging from 4300 to 4800 meters. Huaron is a complex copper-lead-zinc-silver deposit and there are about 20 mines in the Huaron district. The most important minerals for collector are: Chalcopyrite (in nice pseudo-tetrahedral shape often bigger than 5 cm in size), Dolomite, Galena, Pyrite, Quartz, Rhodocrosite,
Sphalerite.
Morococha District
The Morococha district is about 4.400 metres elevation and is located roughly 17 km east-northeast of Casapalca; in the ores are present arsenic and antimony and in association other minerals. For mineral collectors Morococha offer Enargite, Pyrite, Quartz, Tetraedrite, Siderite, Vivianite, Rhodocrosite.
Casapalca District
The town of Casapalca is about a four-hour drive east of Lima and is an elevation of 4300 metres. Epithermal silver ores which contain acanthite, proustite, pyrargirite and myargirite were found with pyrite in a siliceous and pyritic gangue; three main zones of mineralization have been defined which are based on alteration, metal content and mineral type: Zone I is intensely silicified, with no carbonates in the central part and pure calcite in the edge of the zones; Zone II contains abundant carbonate and sericite, sphalerite, tetraedrite and galena are the main ore minerals deposit; Zone III has dolomite, siderite and rodocrosite as the dominant carbonates. The most important minerals for collecting are: Calcite, Manganoncalcite, Chalcopyrite, Dolomite, Galena, Pyrite, Quartz, Rhodocrosite, Sphalerite, Tetraedrite, Anhydrite, Barite, Bournonite, Geocronite, Gypsum.
Pampa Blanca Areas
Pampa Blanca is a very small village located in the valley of the Pisco Chiris River on the road called 'Carretera de los Liberatores' the link Huancano to Huancavelica in the Cordillera Occidental. This is a region very rich of mine and very famous among mineral collector, here a short description of minerals and localities:Rosario Mabel Mine (now La Flor del Perù II ) and other localities on Gato Moro Mountain: the first outstanding specimens that was finding in localities was the worldwide famous specimens of epidote crystals in fascicular aggregate till 10 cm in length sometimes in association with quartz; from the same localities also andradite crystals. Only in a second time miners started to take care of the quartz that occur in Japan-law twins in trasparent and semitrasparent crystals. Ullpac Mine ( now La Flor del Perù I): from this mine, located on the other side of the
river on the Cerro Ullpac, the first Japan-law twins crystals of quartz San Genaro Mine: from this mine Pink Quartz (quarzo rosado), Sulphur, Silver
Sulphosalt and Barite Julcani Mine: from this mine Enargite, Tennantite, Barite.
Julcani District
The Julcani district is located about 65 km by road southeast of the city of Huancavelica at an elevation of 4200 metres. The Julcani district is dominated by a series of rhyodacitic to dacitic dikes, volcanic domes and pyroclastic material. In this district are located many interesting mine for collector:
Herminia Mine: Barite, Bournonite (in nice crystals from black to steel-gray up to 2.5 cm), Chalcopyrite, Enargite, Pyrite, Siderite, Stibnite, Tennantite.
Lucrecia Mine: Barite, Tennantite Tentadora Mine: Galena, Pyrite, Quartz Estela Mine: Apatite, Arsenopyrite, Bismuthinite Mimosa Mine: Bismothinite, Boulangerite Sacarmento Mine: Orèpiment, Realgar
Castrovirreyna District
The Castrovirreyna district is located along the road from Huancavelica to Pisco; this district is composed by a series of vulcanic peaks that average about 5000 metres in elevations. There are five major mines in the district: Caudalosa, Candelaria, San Genaro Carmen Lira, Reliquias Mine. The most important minerals for collector are: Barite, Boulangerite, Bournonite, Chalcopyrite, Galena, Miargyrite, Polybasite, Proustite, Pyrargyrite (very nice crystals
over 4 cm in size, among the best in the world), Pyrite, Quartz, Rhodochrosite, Native Silver, Sphalerite, Stibnite, Armayonite, Tetraedrite.
Quiruvilca District
The Quiruvilca district is located 80 km east of Trujillo; the different working in this area are from 3.800 to 4.000 metres. This district is an old lead-zinc-silver-copper deposit located on layered volcanic rocks of the Miocene Calipuy Formation. The ore deposits have four distinct zones: Enargite zone, Transition zone, Lead-Zinc zone and Stibnite zone.
For mineral collectors Quiruvilca best known for its fine Pyrite (in different crystalforms: pyritohrdrons, octahedrons, dodecahedrons and cubes), Orpiment (among the best orpiment in the world: found in crystals up to 7 cm in size with bright orange colour) , Hutchinsonite (the world's finest for the species, in black to silver black prismatic crystals) and Enargite (in showy specimens in well defined crystals sometimes encrusted with pyrite), but here it is possible find many other minerals of good quality for collector: Arsenopyrite (uncommon in good specimens, but when found very attractive in crystals 2 cm long), Dolomite, Enargite, Galena, Sphalerite, Stibnite, Tetraedrite, Apatite, Barite, Baumahurite, Bournonite (crystals 3 cm sometimes in associations with pyrite and calcopyrite), Calcite, Chalcopyrite, Scheelite, Wurtzite, etc.
Pasto Bueno District
The Pasto Bueno district is located in the northern Cordillera Blanca approxumately 90km east of the Pacific coast with elevations from 3.300 to 5.000 metres. Pasto Bueno is a vein-type tungsten deposit, mineralization occurs in steeply dipping quartz veins associated with the late tertiary quartz monzonite consuco stock. In this district are located the famous Huayllapon mine, La Magistral mine and Mundo Nuevo mine andTamboras mine.
Near mineral collectors Pasto Bueno is known for its Pyrite, Fluorite (occurs as pale green crystals often in associations with quartz, rarely as fine octahedrons to 8 cm on and associated with hubnerite and quartz), Sphalerite, Orpiment (nice orange colour), Hubnerite (the world's best in the world!! in crystals up to 25 cm in lengh usually in associations with quartz xx; smaller hubnerite crystals can be traslucent in deep cherry red colour), Quartz, Tetrahedrite, Rhodocrosite (the Huyllapon mine has produced rhodochrosite of exeptional quality among the best in the world, the crystals occurs in several shades of pink to near red in association with fluorite or quartz), Fluoroapatite, Augelite, Scheelite.
Raura District
The Raura district is polymetallyc deposit of veins and replacement ore bodies located northeast of Lima, about 15 km due north of the town of Oyon. The main sedimentary unit in the Raura area is Cretaceus Machay Limestone; known mineralization covers about 24 square kilometres. The Raura depression contains several orebodies each with different mineralization: Catuvo ore body is predominantly in Pb-Zn; Lake Ninacochaore body is Ag-rich galena; Esperanza and Restauradora orebody. Minerals offered from Raura district are: Barite, Calcite, Calcopyrite, Fluorite, Gypsum (in crystals over a meter in lengh), Manganoancalcite, Pyrite, Rhodochrosite, Stibnite, Tetrahedrite, Saligmanite.
Pachapaqui District
The Pachapaqui district is in the northwest corner of Bolognesi Province; this area is extensively glaciated, the mining district occupies an area 18 km long by 9 km wide with different mine from about 3800 to 4500 metres. Three main types of deposit are recognized: fissure veins and replacement, contact metamorphic and stratabound. Minerals offered from Pachapaqui district are: Arsenopyrite, Bournonite (in black to gun metal blue till 2,5 cm in size), Calcite, Calcopyrite, Fluorite, Galena, Helvite (in bright canary-yellow tetrahedral crystals), Manganaxinite, Manganoancalcite, Pyrite, Quartz, Rhodochrosite, Rhodonite, Sphalerite, Tetrahedrite (highly lustrous crystals upto 2.5 cmin brilliant black to silver black group).
Huanzala Mine
The Huanzala mine is about 250 km north of Lima in the northwest corner of the Huallanca district. The ore bodies contain pyrite, lead-zinc, copper, silver-tin-tungsten minerals. This mine is very famous for the incredible pyrites and for the fantastic pink fluorites, probably the best in the world for quality and association. Here follows a list of the mineral occurrences in Huanzala, giving an idea of the richness of this mine complex: Acanthite, Alabandite, 'Apatite', Arsenopyrite, Barite, Bornite, Calcite, Canfieldite, Cassiterite, Chalcopyrite, Cosalite, Dolomite, Emplectite, Enargite, Fluorapatite, Fluorite
(most fluorite from Huanzala is colorless to green and more rarely in shades of purple to pink), Galena, Hessite, Hocartite, Hübnerite, Kaolinite, Lillianite, Natrolite, Polybasite, Pyrargyrite, Pyrite, Pyrrhotite, Quartz, Rhodochrosite, Rhodonite, Scheelite, 'Sericite', Silver, Sphalerite, Stannite, Stephanite, Tennantite, Tungstenite, Wittichenite, Wurtzite. The mine is still active, being one of the most important in the region nowadays.
Uchucchacua Mine
Uchucchacua is a silver-manganese-lead-zinc replacement vein and skarn district located about 30 km south of Huanzala, elavations range is from 4500 to 5100 metres; this mine is very famous among the collectors for the very nice samples of rhodocrosite, of gemmy quality and schalenoedral shape, the only ones can compete with the Sweet Home mine samples in Colorado and the South African ones; usually occurs on a dark manganese-rich matrix.
Recently in association with the rhodocrosites there some spectacular silver wires that create an association unique for attractiveness and mineralogical value. The mine is now the largest silver mine of Peru and the extracting activity is continuing. In addition to the silver, also Manganese is very common in the mine, with Rhodocrosite, but also with some rare minerals, among which Uchucchacuaite, a rare sulphur of Manganes, antimonium,silver and lead.
Other minerals interestin for collector are: Arsenpolybasite, Kutnohorite, Pyrrhotite, Acanthite, Fluorite, Proustite, Pyrargirite, Pyrite.The mine was of the most important silver mine in Perù and it appears that the mine will be in production for at least another ten years.
Cerro de Pasco
Cerro de Pasco Mine is exploited in a pit, 2400 x 2000 m wide and 500 m deep. Explotation developed in four steps: first the oxidation area; second the volcanic area; third a Pb-Zn-Ag massive sulphides; fourth a body with pyrrotite, marcasite and minor vivianite. By a geological point of view rocks in the area are mainly sedimentary, Paleozoic to Quaternary, and useful material is concentrated in Giurassic to Triassic limestones. Tectonic structures are oriented N-S; tertiary magmatic activity set here in place both effusive and intrusive bodies: the Rumiallana Pyroclastic conglomerate and quartzitic
monzonite dykes. Compressive stresses subsequently fractured both sedimentary and ignous rocks; hydrotermal solutions gradually deposited almost all the minerals in these fractures. In this mine have been indentified more than 58 minerals, many of them interesting only for systematic or micro resercher, the most important for mineral collectors are: Barite, Enargite, Galena, Pyrite, Sphalerite, Tennantite, Gratonite. In the same district is located the Colquijirca Mine that offer Chalcopyrite, Enargite, Native Silver.
Huaron Mines
Huaron lies 40 km south south-west of Cerro de Pasco; the mines are located on the east flank of the western Cordillera of the Andes at elevations ranging from 4300 to 4800 meters. Huaron is a complex copper-lead-zinc-silver deposit and there are about 20 mines in the Huaron district. The most important minerals for collector are: Chalcopyrite (in nice pseudo-tetrahedral shape often bigger than 5 cm in size), Dolomite, Galena, Pyrite, Quartz, Rhodocrosite,
Sphalerite.
Morococha District
The Morococha district is about 4.400 metres elevation and is located roughly 17 km east-northeast of Casapalca; in the ores are present arsenic and antimony and in association other minerals. For mineral collectors Morococha offer Enargite, Pyrite, Quartz, Tetraedrite, Siderite, Vivianite, Rhodocrosite.
Casapalca District
The town of Casapalca is about a four-hour drive east of Lima and is an elevation of 4300 metres. Epithermal silver ores which contain acanthite, proustite, pyrargirite and myargirite were found with pyrite in a siliceous and pyritic gangue; three main zones of mineralization have been defined which are based on alteration, metal content and mineral type: Zone I is intensely silicified, with no carbonates in the central part and pure calcite in the edge of the zones; Zone II contains abundant carbonate and sericite, sphalerite, tetraedrite and galena are the main ore minerals deposit; Zone III has dolomite, siderite and rodocrosite as the dominant carbonates. The most important minerals for collecting are: Calcite, Manganoncalcite, Chalcopyrite, Dolomite, Galena, Pyrite, Quartz, Rhodocrosite, Sphalerite, Tetraedrite, Anhydrite, Barite, Bournonite, Geocronite, Gypsum.
Pampa Blanca Areas
Pampa Blanca is a very small village located in the valley of the Pisco Chiris River on the road called 'Carretera de los Liberatores' the link Huancano to Huancavelica in the Cordillera Occidental. This is a region very rich of mine and very famous among mineral collector, here a short description of minerals and localities:Rosario Mabel Mine (now La Flor del Perù II ) and other localities on Gato Moro Mountain: the first outstanding specimens that was finding in localities was the worldwide famous specimens of epidote crystals in fascicular aggregate till 10 cm in length sometimes in association with quartz; from the same localities also andradite crystals. Only in a second time miners started to take care of the quartz that occur in Japan-law twins in trasparent and semitrasparent crystals. Ullpac Mine ( now La Flor del Perù I): from this mine, located on the other side of the
river on the Cerro Ullpac, the first Japan-law twins crystals of quartz San Genaro Mine: from this mine Pink Quartz (quarzo rosado), Sulphur, Silver
Sulphosalt and Barite Julcani Mine: from this mine Enargite, Tennantite, Barite.
Julcani District
The Julcani district is located about 65 km by road southeast of the city of Huancavelica at an elevation of 4200 metres. The Julcani district is dominated by a series of rhyodacitic to dacitic dikes, volcanic domes and pyroclastic material. In this district are located many interesting mine for collector:
Herminia Mine: Barite, Bournonite (in nice crystals from black to steel-gray up to 2.5 cm), Chalcopyrite, Enargite, Pyrite, Siderite, Stibnite, Tennantite.
Lucrecia Mine: Barite, Tennantite Tentadora Mine: Galena, Pyrite, Quartz Estela Mine: Apatite, Arsenopyrite, Bismuthinite Mimosa Mine: Bismothinite, Boulangerite Sacarmento Mine: Orèpiment, Realgar
Castrovirreyna District
The Castrovirreyna district is located along the road from Huancavelica to Pisco; this district is composed by a series of vulcanic peaks that average about 5000 metres in elevations. There are five major mines in the district: Caudalosa, Candelaria, San Genaro Carmen Lira, Reliquias Mine. The most important minerals for collector are: Barite, Boulangerite, Bournonite, Chalcopyrite, Galena, Miargyrite, Polybasite, Proustite, Pyrargyrite (very nice crystals
over 4 cm in size, among the best in the world), Pyrite, Quartz, Rhodochrosite, Native Silver, Sphalerite, Stibnite, Armayonite, Tetraedrite.
Links
Mindat.org is a non-commercial online mineralogical database, claiming to be the largest mineral database and mineralogical reference website on the internet - fantastic reference location
https://www.mindat.org/
Mindat.org is a non-commercial online mineralogical database, claiming to be the largest mineral database and mineralogical reference website on the internet - fantastic reference location
https://www.mindat.org/