Detailed information
Species
Gratonite
Dimensions
62 x 90 x 34
mm
Weight
283 g
Locality
Rio Tinto Mine Minas de Riotinto Huelva, Andalusia, Spain
Condition
No recorded repairs
Gratonite is a very rare lead sulphosalt species which was first described from Peru in 1939. In the 1960s it was found in the famous Rio Tinto mines in Spain and by the 1980s it had been recorded in several of the openpit workings at Rio Tinto mine from where some of the best individual crystals known were recovered. Still always small, the rhombic prismatic crystals are really well-formed. This small cabinet sized plate of massive sulphide is partially encrusted with dark grey metallic flat-lying prisms of Gratonite up to 2 mm in length in star-burst or flower-like radiating groups. Most are around 1 mm in length, but this is still an excellent crystallized example of this species and especially so for Europe. It comes with a Sam Weller dealer label and another label noting that it was acquired from Sam Weller in 1985.
