Cobaltaustinite with Calcite, Dolomite

This specimen is Cobaltaustinite with Calcite and Dolomite from the Aghbar Mine, Bou Azzer, Morocco, measuring 45 x 41 x 28 mm and weighing 68 g. It is recorded with the David Vince Collection and Pristine Minerals. Cobaltaustinite is a cobalt-bearing member of the Austinite group of arsenates, and the Bou Azzer district is its type locality, remaining the locality most associated with the species worldwide. Bou Azzer is globally significant for cobalt and nickel arsenide mineralisation, and the weathering of these ore minerals has produced a distinctive suite of secondary cobalt- and nickel-bearing arsenates that specialist collectors actively seek, with Cobaltaustinite's characteristic colour arising directly from the cobalt in its crystal structure. Calcite and Dolomite, both carbonate gangue minerals, commonly accompany the district's secondary arsenate mineralisation. At 45 x 41 x 28 mm and 68 g, the specimen is a compact piece, well suited to a thumbnail or small cabinet display. As a type-locality specimen of a genuinely uncommon species, it benefits from a stable, protected display position. The specimen carries a double provenance, recorded from both the David Vince Collection and Pristine Minerals.