FMF - Friends of Minerals Forum, discussion and message board

[Pete Richards]

[Josele]

Thank you Pete, I am unable to recognize Manebach twins, maybe because I have no one at home.

[Hans Cremers]

Dear mineral collecting friends,

During the last months I have read this topic and some others regarding these locations near Girona.
Does anyone here know if it is still possible to collect nice specimens in the Massabé quarries and/or nearby quarries or natural locations?
I'm a collector (not a dealer) from the Netherlands and we are planning our trip to Spain for the coming fall.
We would like to visit one or more locations near Girona to search for smokey quartz / amethyst.
Any information on the possibility of collecting here is very much appreciated. Thank you very much in advance!
P.S. if information is confidential, a PM will also work ;-)

Kind regards,
Hans Cremers

[James Catmur]

Have a look at this page for more information

https://www.mtiblog.com/2019/04/pedrera-mas-sabe-massabe-sils-girona.html

I have no idea what, if anything, has been found recently but you would need permission from the quarry operators

PEDRERA MAS-SABE

[Hans Cremers]

Dear James,

Thank you for your advice. Of course we will ask the quarry owner for permission before entering.
I was just wondering if anyone had some more up-to-date information about this locality, or possibly other less well known localities in the area.
All tips and advice are welcome. :-)

Kind regards,
Hans

[James Catmur]

Hans

We have asked for information /help on the Spanish FMF. Let's see if anyone can help you.

James

[Hans Cremers]

Hi James,

Thank you so much, this is much appreciated.
Hopefully there is some more information available among local collectors. :-)

Best regards,
Hans

[heat]

Hi Hans.

You can go to the quarry on Sundays (I don't know if on Saturdays as well). The exploitation is stopped and the security guard will let you search inside if you say so politely. It is very difficult to find good specimens today in this quarry, but not impossible. The good area of ​​the quarry is the eastern half. Very good pieces have come out in the surrounding forests in recent years. If you have experience in similar terrain, for amethysts, I would go to the forests of the west of Sils and the southwest of Riudarenes. In Santa Coloma forest my friends have found good pieces of smoky and microclines. You can also try the Can Suria quarry (south of Massabé) and the AVE quarry. You can find all 3 in mindat.

It is an area very worked by fans and it can be exasperating. It requires patience and luck.

translated with google

[James Catmur]

This is Can Suria

https://mti-minas-catalunya.blogspot.com/2009/07/pedrera-guixeras.html

James

[James Catmur]

And these were from the AVE quarry - 'AVE' means high-speed train in Spanish

https://mti-minas-catalunya.blogspot.com/2011/05/cantera-trabajos-del-ave.html

I worked on the line as it crossed the mountains. In fact my avatar is a photo of me standing next to the portal for the main tunnel. The line was finished years ago

[Hans Cremers]

Hi James and heat,

Thank you both, these are definitely good leads to start off from. Too bad my Spanish is not that good.
Our group has some experience searching for quartz in forest locations in Belgium, Germany and Switzerland.
However, the surrounding rock seems very different. It is probably just a matter of trying and some good luck ;-)
Thanks again!

P.S. We'll probably be in the area on saturday 23th of Oktober. If one of you lives close to the area and has some nice pieces to show, maybe it is interesting to meet up. It is always nice to meet fellow collectors and share stories ;-)

Kind regards,
Hans

[heat]

Hi Hans.

The area is 99% "decomposed granite" and 1% granite. Ignore the quartz veins. You have to find small pegmatites of quartz, feldspar and muscovite (photo). I have a good friend who has a great collection of amethysts from those forests but he recently moved to Chamonix.

[James Catmur]

Have a look at this recent post on the Spanish side for the latest news - Google translate will give you an OK version in the language of your choice

https://www.foro-minerales.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=155014#155014

James

[James Catmur]

Quick summary (my translation):

"The best quartz is found in the Masabe/CanSúria/Ave quarries.

They will not let you in the first, the second will let you in but there is not much left, the third is now protected so you must not collect there.

The area around the C-35 highways is good, near the villages of Bescanó, Susqueda, St Marti Sacalm, Arbúcies, Osor, Vidreres, Riudarenes, Viladrau. The last two are of more interest. Look for granite/basalt not limestone."

[Hans Cremers]

Hi James,

Thank you for this additional info. This definetely gives us some more useful directions.

Kind regards,
Hans