Ambas Aguas, Muro de Aguas, La Rioja, Spaini

Regional Level Types
Ambas Aguas	Village
Muro de Aguas	Municipality
La Rioja	Autonomous Community
Spain	Country

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There are several little quarries where it is possible to extract samples of pyrite after paying the owner.

Ambas Aguas is a small, almost completely abandoned village. You can access it by a track (5.5 km long) from the town of Muro de Aguas. In Ambas Aguas there are numerous outcrops that have been known for over 100 years, which are worked for pyrite, but only for collecting and decorating purposes. They are located along the streams around the area, and occur as they cross Cretaceous sedimentary layers (Urbión Group — Berriasian to Aptian age) that are affected by mineralizing hydrothermal fluids:

— West Vallaroso stream;

— East Vallaroso stream;

— La Urruñada stream (also called La Orrañuda; Laorrañuda; La Orrañada; Laorruñada);

— Las Cañadillas stream in the Aguasala ravine.

Most of the area belongs, since 1996, to the mining licence "Ambas Aguas II", derived from the initial licence "Ambas Aguas I" (1994), hence the name "Ambas Aguas 1". You can visit the area and collect pyrites, but only after payment.

The crystals of pyrite in the region occur in a wide variety of forms. In the Laorrañuda and Vallaroso streams, close to Ambas Aguas village, the matrix is a light grey shale. Here cubes are common, with deeply striated faces; there are pentagondodecahedra (pyritohedra) with both smooth and shiny faces or striated ones, and all possible combinations thereof also occur. Less common forms are octahedra and diplohedra, combined with pyritohedra and cubes. Also, there are some small twinned pyritohedra in the form of "iron cross", and frequent “pine cone” like groups.

In the Arroyo de Las Cañadillas, located midway between Ambas Aguas and Muro de Aguas, the matrix is very dark gray shale. Here individual crystals are striated cubes, striated pyritohedral crystals with quite curved faces, and combinations thereof. Most characteristic are “pine cone” clusters, composed of many pyritohedra with curved faces. Apart from their shape, specimens can be recognized by the dark shale residues often left within any holes or gaps.

In some places, there is a lot of gypsum formed by the reaction of solutions from oxidized pyrite with calcite in the rocks.

Commodity List

This is a list of exploitable or exploited mineral commodities recorded at this locality.

Mineral List

5 valid minerals.

Rock Types Recorded