Bou Azzer District

History · Geology

About Bou Azzer District

The Bou Azzer District in the Anti-Atlas of southern Morocco is the world’s only mining district where cobalt is the principal economic metal. Active since 1928, Bou Azzer is the global archetype for cobalt-arsenide mineralogy and produces some of the planet’s finest crystallized erythrite specimens.

Geology

The deposits are unusual serpentinite-hosted Co-Ni-Ag-Au veins forming at the contact between Neoproterozoic ophiolitic ultramafic rocks and overlying volcanic sequences. Hydrothermal Co-Ni-As-Ag fluids precipitated cobaltite, skutterudite and arsenide minerals, with extensive supergene oxidation producing erythrite (cobalt bloom) and annabergite at outcrop.

Notable Minerals

Cobaltite (sharp pyritohedral crystals — alongside Tunaberg, Sweden, the world’s top source), erythrite (deep magenta-pink Co arsenate “cobalt bloom” — gem-quality fibrous radiating sprays, world-best), native silver, native gold, calcite (often dolomite-rhombohedral), tetrahedrite, arsenopyrite, pyrite, quartz. The “Bou Azzer pink erythrite on quartz” combination is one of Africa’s most photographed mineral specimens.

Collector Notes

Bou Azzer erythrite is the species standard. Pair with Schneeberg (Saxony) and Cobalt (Ontario) for the world Co-mineral collector triad. Ongoing extraction continues; supply is steady but selective.