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.
Description
Spectacular cinnabar thumbnail featuring a matrix packed with rich red micro-crystals, crowned by a large, sharply crystallized main crystal.
About Cinabrio
Cinnabar is the principal ore of mercury and the historic source of vermilion. In alteration zones it may occur with native mercury as tiny metallic droplets. Its symbol, Hg, comes from hydrargyrum, «liquid silver»; the English quicksilver likewise evokes its mobile, silvery appearance.
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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