San Pietro Mine, Monte Tamara mining area, Nuxis, South Sardinia Province, Sardinia, Italyi

Regional Level Types
San Pietro Mine	Mine
Monte Tamara mining area	Mining Area
Nuxis	Municipality
South Sardinia Province	Province
Sardinia	Autonomous Region
Italy	- not defined -

The San Pietro mine, situated NW of Monte Tamara, was active since the late 19th century until the second half of the 20th century and exploited Zn–Pb–Cu–As ores.

It consisted of five underground mining levels through a vertical depth of ~70 m. The mine exploited a 0.5–5 m thick and irregular, steeply dipping band of dark green skarn located between the meta-sandstones (Nebida Formation) and greyish black marbles (Gonnesa Formation) with disseminated Zn–Pb–Cu sulfides and narrow subvertical veins. Well-exposed mineralised skarn outcrops are limited to an open excavation and a stope close to a shaft at the top of the mine (level 377).

The ore is a 5 m thick, NW–SE striking and steeply SW-dipping band, consisting of four main zones. From the meta-sandstones to the marbles:

- the first zone (1) is a 50 cm thick garnet–clinopyroxene–wollastonite skarn band with magnetite, chalcopyrite, and scheelite;

- followed by (2) a zone of 30 cm thick magnetite and sphalerite band in a garnet and amphibole gangue;

- (3) the magnetite band grades towards an arsenopyrite–sphalerite–chalcopyrite–galena zone;

- (4) towards the contact with the marbles, a 30 cm thick band of massive magnetite hosts subordinate chalcopyrite and mm-scale dispersed crystals of scheelite (observable under short-wave UV light) in an amphibole gangue.

Secondary Fe–Cu–Zn–As minerals are common and renowned among mineralogists and mineral collectors.

Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality

References