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Larimar - Blue Pectolite
You are here: MineralCollecting.org >> Posted Articles >> Article 38

Article Title: Larimar - Blue Pectolite
By: Herman Dittrich
September 18, 2002

At the begin of the century, the Catholic priest Miguel Domingo Fuerte Loren of Barahona sent a solicitude to the Treasury Department of the Dominican Republic to obtain the privilege of exploration and exploitation of the mine. However, for whatever reason, he never succeded and the " blue stones " remained in oblivion. What he was going to exploit was "Blue Pectolite".

Pectolite, formerly denominated "ratholite", is an acid silicate hydrate of calcium and sodium. Of ample diffusion in the world, we can find deposits of this mineral, known as outcrop, at very distant places of the planet: The United States (Michigan, Arkansas, New Jersey, California), Canada, England (Scotland), India, Austria (Tyrol), among others. All have in fact been results and consequences of this volcanic Earth activity, many million years ago. The only locality where Larimar or blue pectolite appears on the terrestrial crust, is the province of Barahona, in the south-western region of the Dominican Republic. In 1974 Norman Rilling, a member of the American "Peace Corps" in company of the Dominican Miguel Méndez, found blue pectolites at the coast of Barahona. On following the vestige upstream of the Bahoruco river, they achieved to reach in the outcrop at "Los Chupaderos" in the section "Los Checheses " about 10 kilometers southwest of Barahona, in the south-occidental region of the Dominican Republic.

In 1975, the exploitation is being initiated by means of little methodical techniques. 1988 sees a conflict with relation to contract of exclusivity between the "Cooperativa de Producción y Trabajo Extractadores y Procesadores de Larimar", who had under their responsibility the exploitation of the mine of Barahuco, and the private company " Larimar consortium S.A." (COLARSA).

The "Asociación Nacional de Artesanos" (National Association of Artesans), spear headed by their president Jorge Caridad opposed this contract, because of its strong character of monopolization , by means of mobilizing the intervention of different entities. As a result, at present, the mine is exploited by the "Coopertiva de Extractores de Larimar" and the "Asociación de Extractores de Larimar", and the raw material flows through the channels of open commercialization.

Nevertheless, this mine will not give Larimar forever. What will happen to this National Stone of the Dominican Republic (see http://www.larimarmuseum.com)? The question remains unanswered, since Larimar has not been found anywhere else. Or has it?

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