Skutterudita
Skutterudita is a mineral with formula CoAs₃, in the Arseniuros group. This specimen comes from Bou Azzer, Tazenakht, Ouarzazate, Drâa-Tafilalet, Marruecos.
Description
A dominant 2.30 cm cuboctahedral crystal (truncated pyramid) with an extraordinary presence. Broad crystal faces, well-defined geometry and an almost mirror-like metallic lustre. A compact, highly attractive cluster with smaller secondary crystals and another large crystal.
History of this specimen
A handwritten label by Dr. Roger Harker (1942–1983), dated 22 April 1974, remains attached to the back of the specimen, identifying P. Decarpentrie of Brussels as its previous owner. Harker was a prominent British geologist and mineral collector, owner of Lythe Minerals in Leicester and a founding member of the Russell Society. After his death, his private collection remained in the family home for over four decades, until it was offered at auction in November 2025. As a reference from the same period, Fabre Minerals documents two magnificent skutterudite specimens from Bou Azzer in the Joaquín Folch collection, one acquired in 1974, with main crystals measuring 2.2 and 2.5 cm and characteristics very similar to those of this specimen. A genuine *old-time* Bou Azzer specimen, with over half a century of documented history. I won the specimen at a TWM auction for a surprisingly low price, but my excitement was short-lived. When the invoice arrived, I discovered that, on top of the rather expensive shipping costs, they had added import taxes and handling fees that I hadn't been charged on another purchase barely twenty days earlier. I wrote to ask for an explanation, and they told me they had changed their procedure to collect import charges in advance. I don't know if it was just a coincidence, but the one time I managed to get such an extraordinary specimen at such a low price, the invoice came with a surprise.
About Skutterudita
Skutterudite is a cobalt arsenide that can also contain nickel and iron. It has been an important cobalt ore and, under certain weathering conditions, can alter to form erythrite, a secondary arsenate with a characteristic pink or violet colour. In Bou Azzer, the two minerals are closely associated.
About the locality
Bou Azzer, in Morocco’s Anti-Atlas Mountains, is one of the world’s major cobalt mining districts and a classic mineralogical locality. Its modern history began in 1928, when a French industrialist discovered that local inhabitants were using erythrite, a cobalt arsenate, as an insecticide and rat poison. This led to the discovery of the mineral deposits and the start of industrial mining around 1930.
Technical data
- Catalogue No.
- 0709
- Composition
- CoAs₃
- Name
- Skutterudita
- Group
- Arseniuros
- Associations
- calcita
- Mine
- Bou Azzer
- District / Municipality
- Tazenakht
- Province
- Ouarzazate
- Region
- Drâa-Tafilalet
- Country
- Marruecos
- Size (cm)
- 4.6 × 3.3 × 1.3
- Weight
- 64.2 g
- Ex-collection
- P. Decarpentrie of Brussels > Dr. Roger Harker
- Etymology
- Named after Skutterud, Norway, its type locality.
- Quality
- Top
- Value trend
- Estable
Related specimens
- Acantita (Paramórfica tras Argentita) — Marruecos
- Andradita (Melanita) — Marruecos
- Apatito — Marruecos
- Aragonito — Marruecos
- Arfvedsonita — Marruecos
- Azurita — Marruecos
- Azurita — Marruecos
- Azurita — Marruecos