In May of 2023, Erik had the opportunity to visit the mining district of Mibladen, Morocco. He spoke with miners, and was able to purchase vanadinite and cerussite lots directly from the miners who found them. Here are some photos from the Mibladen workings.
These are the mines in Mibladen, Midelt Province, Morocco.
We had the opportunity to purchase a few lots of mineral specimens directly from the miners who work and live at Mibladen for most of the week.
The mine shafts are traditional. Most of the shafts consist of a pulley that requires two others hand-cranking from each side. Most shafts are about 30m (90ft) deep. At the bottom, they branch off to cover more area to mine. The specimens found here include vanadinite, barite, cerussite, and similar lead based minerals.