Inner Mongolia
About Inner Mongoliaextended article
Inner Mongolia — phantom fluorite and Bayan Obo classics
Inner Mongolia's vast mineralized belts supply two very different collector materials: saturated fluorite — purple phantoms, red octahedra, and white spherical growths — and metallic species from the world-famous Bayan Obo Fe-REE deposit, including sharp specular hematite.
What Inner Mongolia is known for
- Purple phantom fluorite, sometimes with marcasite inclusions
- Red octahedral fluorite clusters — among China's most distinctive fluorite colors
- White spherical fluorite with cassiterite
- Specular (mirror-luster) hematite from Bayan Obo
- Flower calcite with green quartz; sulfosalts such as boulangerite
Typical specimen style
The fluorite favors dramatic color statements — deep phantom zoning or full-red saturation — over delicate combinations. Bayan Obo hematite shows brilliant metallic faces in tight crystal clusters.
Collector value
Red octahedral fluorite is the headline material: the color is rare in the species worldwide and instantly recognizable on a shelf. Phantom pieces are valued on zone sharpness; hematite on luster and crystal definition.
From our inventory
Browse Inner Mongolia specimens or the fluorite guide.
The Huanggang skarn
Inner Mongolia's modern collector fame rests above all on the Huanggang iron–tin skarn in the Hexigten area, where granite intruded carbonate rocks to form lustrous green and purple fluorite, magnetite, ilvaite, hedenbergite and arsenopyrite, often in striking combinations on a single matrix. The province's granite pegmatites also yield beryl, including aquamarine.
Frequently asked questions
Where is Inner Mongolia?
Inner Mongolia is a mineral locality in China.
What minerals are found at Inner Mongolia?
Minerals from Inner Mongolia include Fluorite, Calcite, Quartz, Hematite.
What is Inner Mongolia known for?
Inner Mongolia, China — collector specimens of fluorite and barite.
References & databases
Mindat.org is the world’s largest open mineralogy database.
Specimens from Inner Mongolia
Quartz Cluster on Matrix — Inner Mongolia, China
Flower-like Calcite with Quartz — Inner Mongolia, China
Light Yellow Fluorite Sphere on Iron Matrix, Inner Mongolia
Specular Hematite Crystal Cluster, Bayan Obo, Inner Mongolia
Green Fluorite Cluster with Purple Trim, Inner Mongolia
Fluorite with Purple Phantoms and Marcasite, Inner Mongolia
Martite Hematite Crystal Specimen, Inner Mongolia
Arsenopyrite with Quartz Crystal Cluster, Inner Mongolia
Blue Phantom Fluorite, Yindu, Inner Mongolia
White Spherical Fluorite with Cassiterite, Inner Mongolia
Natural Spherical Calcite, Baotou, Inner Mongolia
Boulangerite with Quartz and Pyrite, Inner Mongolia
Flower Calcite with Green Quartz, Inner Mongolia
Calcite with Screw-Growth Green Quartz, Inner Mongolia
Green Fluorite Cluster – Step Growth, Inner Mongolia
Purple Fluorite on Dolomite Matrix – Pyrite – Inner Mongolia
Transparent Fluorite Sphere – White Crystal – Inner Mongolia
