I’ve added a new Morocco Update (click here) with some particularly fine specimens. I have managed to obtain five more blue barites from the Sidi Lahcen Mine in Nador that are worthy of including on the site. Although almost all barites from Sidi Lahcen have some amount of damage (many are badly damaged) these ones are in excellent condition – they are great high-quality pieces.

Barite, Sidi Lahcen Mine, Nador, Morocco – 10.7 cm

Barite, Sidi Lahcen Mine, Nador, Morocco – field of view approximately 10 cm

This update includes several wonderful individual specimens. A startling hot pink cabinet specimen of cobaltoan dolomite from Bou Azzer, a super sharp thumbnail-sized specimen of, and also a great glassy miniature of green fluorapatite from Imilchil, a sharp, gemmy brown titanite from Imilchil, a Tounfit fluorite that will have you looking a while to sort out the morphology, and an unusually fine specimen of sprays of goethite crystals included in quartz crystals from Tizi-n-Tichka.

Dolomite, var. Cobaltoan Dolomite, Agoudal Mine, Bou Azzer District, Ouarzazate Province, Morocco – 10.8 cm

Fluorapatite, Anezmy, Imilchil, Morocco – 4.3 cm

Fluorapatite, Anezmy, Imilchil, Morocco – 3.0 cm

Titanite, Imilchil, Er Rachidia, Morocco – largest crystal 1.5 cm

Goethite in Quartz crystals, Tizi-n-Tichka, Ouarzazate, Morocco

Fluorite, Tounfit, Boumia, Khenifra, Morocco – crystal approximately 1 cm

Finally in this update, I have included a group of new specimens of yellow fluorite cubes with barite and quartz. Although Moroccan yellow fluorite is often attributed to “Aouli”, an abandoned historical mining complex which is not producing specimens, contemporary specimens are in fact from an area near Sidi Ayed. It is road-accessible, but it is relatively remote in a barren, windswept area, which sees sandstorms in the dry weather and roads washed out in the rain. These fluorites are nice for Sidi Ayed specimens, for a few reasons – they are isolated on quartz crystals rather than massed together, some of the quartz has some nice red colouring from hematite, and a few of the crystals show tiny irregular zones of greenish blue colour.

Fluorite, Sidi Ayed, Boulemane, Morocco – crystal 0.8 cm

Fluorite, Sidi Ayed, Boulemane, Morocco – crystal 1 cm