TERRIUM — A mineralogy cabinet


Cinabrio

Cinabrio is a mineral with formula HgS, in the Sulfuros group. This specimen comes from Mina de Almadén, Almadén, Ciudad Real, Castilla-La Mancha, España.

Cinabrio from Mina de Almadén, Almadén, Ciudad Real, Castilla-La Mancha, España — Terrium

Description

Spectacular cinnabar thumbnail featuring a matrix packed with rich red micro-crystals, crowned by a large, sharply crystallized main crystal.

About the locality

Recognized as history's most important mercury production hub, the Almadén mining district supplied Europe for over two thousand years. From the 16th century onward, its output played a key role in American silver extraction via the amalgamation process. Today, this legacy stands as a UNESCO World Heritage site together with Idrija.

Technical data

Catalogue No.
0687
Composition
HgS
Name
Cinabrio
Group
Sulfuros
Category
Meritum Persé
Matrix
Ferruginosa
Mine
Mina de Almadén
District / Municipality
Almadén
Province
Ciudad Real
Region
Castilla-La Mancha
Country
España
Size (cm)
3.5 x 2.5 x 1.2
Weight
13.2 g
Etymology
From the Arabic «zinjafr», itself derived from the Persian «zinjifrah», the historical origin of the name «cinnabar».
Quality
Notable
Value trend
Al alza

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