Madielle quarries, Madielle quarrying basin, Massa, Massa-Carrara Province, Tuscany, Italyi

Regional Level Types
Madielle quarries	Group of Quarries
Madielle quarrying basin	Group of Quarries
Massa	Commune
Massa-Carrara Province	Province
Tuscany	Region
Italy	Country

Madielle quarries, Madielle quarrying basin, Apuan Alps, Tuscany, Italy

The quarrying area is exploited on different levels (Madielle 1, Madielle 2, and Madielle 3). Madielle 1 is located at Campo Francesco, at an elevation of about 660 m, to the SE of Marianna Bassa quarry; Madielle 2 is located to the east of the Madielle 1 at Costa degli Ilci, at an elevation of about 780 m; Madielle 3 (also known as Bordighera quarry) is located to the SE of Madielle 1 at an elevation of about 840 m.

Best samples of dawsonite, stibnite are found in marble cavities. Additionally sulfides and sulfosalts, including covellite, enargite, moëloite, zinkenite, sphalerite, etc.
Sulphur is rarely found as bipyramidal crystals up to 4-5 mm in size.

Bournonite is found as tabular twinned crystals with metallic lustre and black colour (Orlandi and Bellè, 2002).
Chalcocite forms bipyramidal crystals with a pseudo-hexagonal outline, associated with other copper minerals (tetrahedrite, covellite). Orlandi and Bellè (2002) reported the epitaxial growth of chalcocite crystals on tetrahedrite. In 2008 good samples of bipyramidal crystals of chalcocite up to 0.5mm were found growing on crystals of covellite.
Chalcopyrite occurs as shapeless masses or as micrometer-sized elongated crystals associated with galena (Orlandi and Bellè, 2002). An epitaxy of chalcopyrite and sphalerite on a wurtzite crystal was observed. Some bisphenoidal crystals up to 1 mm were found in association with dawsonite, galena, and gypsum.
Colusite has been found as tetrahedral crystals up to 1 cm. Often individual crystals are partly corroded, in some cases shiny metallic crystals have been found.
Covellite was found in marble layers darker than the surrounding groundmass. Rarely it was observed as iridescent blue-violet hexagonal crystals up to 1 cm within the cavities. In the second finding covellite was found as rosette-like aggregates of micaceous crystals up to 4-5 mm on calcite crystals.
Good specimens of enargite described as prismatic crystals up to 1 cm, rarely twinned. Epitaxial intergrowths with colusite and luzonite.
Nice specimens of luzonite closely associated with enargite (Orlandi and Bellè, 2002).
Galena as cubic or cuboctahedral crystals up to several mm in size, sometimes twinned according to the spinel law.
Greenockite has been found as small masses or very thin hexagonal prismatic crystals, brick red in colour on wurtzite.
Bipyramidal individuals of jordanite-geocronite with pseudo-hexagonal outline lead-grey in colour with metallic lustre were found at 2 different occurrences: as small crystals (less than 1mm) scattered om matrix in association with galena, pyrite and sphalerite; as larger crystals up to 4mm along shear surfaces with galena, pyrite and black sphalerite.
Marcasite found as bipyramidal crystals up to 5mm associated with covellite.
Moëloite has been found as thin acicular grey crystals, when the crystals are very thin their colour is brick red. Sometimes they are associated with violet fluorite.

Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality

References