Aragonito Pantojo
Aragonito is a mineral with formula CaCO₃, in the Carbonatos group. This specimen comes from Pantoja, Pantoja, Toledo, Castilla-La Mancha, España.
Description
Large spray of Pantoja aragonite, showing its typical fluorescence and phosphorescence.
About Aragonito
One of the great understated gems of Iberian geology. The Pantoja aragonites, also called "Pantojos", "Aragonitos Pantojo", or "Hedgehog Aragonite", are extremely delicate and widely known for their intense bluish-white fluorescence and phosphorescence. Aragonite is one of the two most common crystalline forms of calcium carbonate, and in Pantoja, its acicular crystals grew inside cavities within lacustrine sediments.
About the locality
During the 1980s and 1990s, Pantoja became a mineralogical landmark thanks to its iconic acicular aragonites. Extracted from a now-inactive and partially reclaimed quarry near the municipality, these crystals formed around 14 million years ago in cavities within Miocene lake sediments. These clays accumulated in calm waters and river mouths until filling ancient freshwater lakes; there, organic decomposition released gases that trapped bubbles in the sediment, which were later filled by carbonate-rich waters that precipitated into their distinct radial aggregates. A staple for decades in Spanish fairs and Castilla-La Mancha collections, new findings are nowadays much more sporadic.
Technical data
- Catalogue No.
- 0250
- Composition
- CaCO₃
- Name
- Aragonito
- Variety
- Pantojo
- Group
- Carbonatos
- Category
- Lucimera
- Matrix
- Marga
- Mine
- Pantoja
- District / Municipality
- Pantoja
- Province
- Toledo
- Region
- Castilla-La Mancha
- Country
- España
- Size (cm)
- 3.5 x 3.5 x 3.5
- Weight
- 39 g
- Ex-collection
- Ángel García
- Etymology
- From "Aragon", the Spanish region where it was first discovered.
- Quality
- Muy buena
- Value trend
- Estable
Related specimens
- Aragonito (Blanco (Bulboso)) — España
- Barita — España
- Calcita —
- Calcita (Manganocalcita) — Pakistán
- Calcita (Dorada) — España
- Jacinto de Compostela — España
- Magnetita — España
- Magnetita — España