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Bajoca Mine, Almendra, Vila Nova de Foz Côa, Guarda, Portugali
| Regional Level Types | |
|---|---|
| Bajoca Mine | Mine (Active) |
| Almendra | Civil Parish |
| Vila Nova de Foz Côa | Municipality |
| Guarda | District |
| Portugal | Country |
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Latitude & Longitude (WGS84):
41° 0' 11'' North , 7° 0' 44'' West
Latitude & Longitude (decimal):
Type:
Mine (Active) - last checked 2025
Köppen climate type:
Nearest Settlements:
| Place | Population | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| La Fregeneda | 457 (2012) | 12.2km |
| Vila Nova de Foz Côa | 7,312 (2018) | 13.9km |
| Hinojosa de Duero | 779 (2012) | 18.3km |
| Freixo de Numão | 609 (2018) | 18.9km |
| Torre de Moncorvo | 8,572 (2018) | 19.3km |
Name(s) in local language(s):
Mina da Bajoca, Almendra, Vila Nova de Foz Côa, Distrito da Guarda, Portugal
Largest feldspar mine in Portugal: 700 meters long and up to 35 meters in width. Active in October 2025.
Located 4 km to the W of Almendra.
The Bajoca mine pegmatite vein is the main body of an open pit exploitation, linked to the Ceramic Industry, although Bajoca mine was a tin mine in the last century. This vein has an extension of 700 meters, with variable thickness between few meters and more than 30 meters. It is clearly intrusive in the metasediments of the “Complexo Xisto-Grauváquico”, showing a general orientation N10º with dip variations between 30º and 45º W.
During the research work done in the main vein of the Bajoca mine, was clearly showed the existence of lithium minerals, that occurs as montebrasite-amblygonite and mainly as petalite. The montebrasite-ambligonite appears as accessory mineral, in milimetric crystals. The petalite occurs as microcristaline mineral masses, white in color, or in centimetric crystals with perfect cleavage {001}. Is an essential mineral in the vein hanging wall area, what means that it is considered zoned in terms of lithium, because the foot-wall is almost sterile, with a significant enrichment to the roof zone.
These rare element pegmatites are considered by Cerny classification as LCT (Li, Cs,Ta) family. They are of the complex type, as lepidolite subtype meanwhile the main vein of Bajoca mine is classified as petalite subtype.
The worldwide growing needs of these raw materials, could and should be a motivation to the development of a new industry in this region. As we know this region (NE of Portugal) as several problems related to industrial and human desertification. This new industry as special characteristics, showing a smaller environmental impact compared to the ancient exploitations of tin and other ore minerals. They have small dimension in time and space, making this possible with small mining compounds, and plants more friendly to the environment. [Typos corrected]
Abstract: Carlos Miguel Pedroso de Almeida, Estudo do Filão Aplitopegmatítico da Mina da Bajoca, Almendra. Contribuiçao Científico-Tecnológica. Departamento de Geologia, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade do Porto, Porto, 2003.
Select Mineral List Type
Standard Detailed Gallery Strunz Chemical ElementsCommodity List
This is a list of exploitable or exploited mineral commodities recorded at this locality.Mineral List
6 valid minerals.
Detailed Mineral List:
| ⓘ Albite Formula: Na(AlSi3O8) |
| ⓘ 'Apatite' Formula: Ca5(PO4)3(Cl/F/OH) |
| ⓘ Cassiterite Formula: SnO2 |
| ⓘ 'K Feldspar' |
| ⓘ 'Limonite' |
| ⓘ Montebrasite Formula: LiAl(PO4)(OH) |
| ⓘ Muscovite Formula: KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2 |
| ⓘ Petalite Formula: LiAl(Si4O10) |
| ⓘ Quartz Formula: SiO2 |
Gallery:
List of minerals arranged by Strunz 10th Edition classification
| Group 4 - Oxides and Hydroxides | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| ⓘ | Quartz | 4.DA.05 | SiO2 |
| ⓘ | Cassiterite | 4.DB.05 | SnO2 |
| Group 8 - Phosphates, Arsenates and Vanadates | |||
| ⓘ | Montebrasite | 8.BB.05 | LiAl(PO4)(OH) |
| Group 9 - Silicates | |||
| ⓘ | Muscovite | 9.EC.15 | KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2 |
| ⓘ | Petalite | 9.EF.05 | LiAl(Si4O10) |
| ⓘ | Albite | 9.FA.35 | Na(AlSi3O8) |
| Unclassified | |||
| ⓘ | 'Limonite' | - | |
| ⓘ | 'K Feldspar' | - | |
| ⓘ | 'Apatite' | - | Ca5(PO4)3(Cl/F/OH) |
List of minerals for each chemical element
| H | Hydrogen | |
|---|---|---|
| H | ⓘ Montebrasite | LiAl(PO4)(OH) |
| H | ⓘ Muscovite | KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2 |
| H | ⓘ Apatite | Ca5(PO4)3(Cl/F/OH) |
| Li | Lithium | |
| Li | ⓘ Montebrasite | LiAl(PO4)(OH) |
| Li | ⓘ Petalite | LiAl(Si4O10) |
| O | Oxygen | |
| O | ⓘ Albite | Na(AlSi3O8) |
| O | ⓘ Cassiterite | SnO2 |
| O | ⓘ Montebrasite | LiAl(PO4)(OH) |
| O | ⓘ Muscovite | KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2 |
| O | ⓘ Petalite | LiAl(Si4O10) |
| O | ⓘ Quartz | SiO2 |
| O | ⓘ Apatite | Ca5(PO4)3(Cl/F/OH) |
| F | Fluorine | |
| F | ⓘ Apatite | Ca5(PO4)3(Cl/F/OH) |
| Na | Sodium | |
| Na | ⓘ Albite | Na(AlSi3O8) |
| Al | Aluminium | |
| Al | ⓘ Albite | Na(AlSi3O8) |
| Al | ⓘ Montebrasite | LiAl(PO4)(OH) |
| Al | ⓘ Muscovite | KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2 |
| Al | ⓘ Petalite | LiAl(Si4O10) |
| Si | Silicon | |
| Si | ⓘ Albite | Na(AlSi3O8) |
| Si | ⓘ Muscovite | KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2 |
| Si | ⓘ Petalite | LiAl(Si4O10) |
| Si | ⓘ Quartz | SiO2 |
| P | Phosphorus | |
| P | ⓘ Montebrasite | LiAl(PO4)(OH) |
| P | ⓘ Apatite | Ca5(PO4)3(Cl/F/OH) |
| Cl | Chlorine | |
| Cl | ⓘ Apatite | Ca5(PO4)3(Cl/F/OH) |
| K | Potassium | |
| K | ⓘ Muscovite | KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2 |
| Ca | Calcium | |
| Ca | ⓘ Apatite | Ca5(PO4)3(Cl/F/OH) |
| Sn | Tin | |
| Sn | ⓘ Cassiterite | SnO2 |
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Bajoca Mine, Almendra, Vila Nova de Foz Côa, Guarda, Portugal