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James Catmur
Site Admin
Joined: 14 Sep 2006
Posts: 1461
Location: Cambridge
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 Posted: Jun 07, 2013 05:00 Post subject: A mineralogical trip through the regions of the UK - Wales |
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I used to collect here as a very small child but that was in the slate quarries around Blaenau Ffestiniog and the area around Garreg and Penrhyndeudraeth. I sadly never went to Prenteg as a child. More recently I have tried my luck in the gold mines above Afon Mawddach (with no luck)
I use a fine Linarite already published by Ploum here to get us started
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Linarite
Eaglebrook Mine, Talybont, Ceulanymaesmawr, Ceredigion, Wales, UK
fov 1.5 mm
Photo: Ploum |
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43589 Time(s) |
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ian jones
Joined: 29 Jul 2009
Posts: 112
Location: london
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| Posted: Jun 16, 2013 04:12 Post subject: Re: A mineralogical trip through the regions of the UK - Wales |
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Am up in Weardale for the summer and don't have access to most of my photos. But here are a few Welsh pieces that I've found on my laptop.
First up a few bits found in cavities in the ironstones from the south Wales coalmeasures.
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Millerite
Deep Navitation Colliery, Treharris, Merthyr Tydfil, Wales, UK
longest crystal 27mm
Greenish, oxydised millerite sprays, with one crystal totally covered with elongated galena crystals, on siderite within an ironstone cavity. Siegenite crystal, 0.5mm to the left of the millerite. collected August 1995. |
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43856 Time(s) |
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Quartz
Dare Colliery, Cwmparc, Rhondda-Cynon-Taff, Wales, UK
Quartz crystal, 40mm, on siderite, collected October 1992 |
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43843 Time(s) |
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Baryte
Oakdale Colliery, Oakdale, Caerphilly, Wales, UK
Baryte crystals to 15mm, on siderite - these are large for the coalfield. Collected April 1997 |
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43823 Time(s) |
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Millerite
Coed Ely Colliery, Coed Ely, Rhondda-Cynon-Taff, Wales, UK
Spray of bright millerite crystals to 15mm with a small ball of transparent red hydrocarbon at the centre. Collected April 1996 |
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43895 Time(s) |
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Siegenite
Gelli Colliery, Gelli, Rhonnda-Cynon-Taff, Wales, UK
Platy siegenite crystal 6mm across, with smaller octahedral siegenite crystals scattered around it. This is huge for the south Wales Coalfield and, to my knowledge, much the largest found in the UK. Identification confirmed at the National Museum of Wales. Collected August 1988. |
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43887 Time(s) |
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Ru Smith
Joined: 13 Oct 2012
Posts: 362
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| Posted: Jun 16, 2013 22:07 Post subject: Re: A mineralogical trip through the regions of the UK - Wales |
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| Fine millerites, Ian and a giant little siegenite.
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Ru Smith
Joined: 13 Oct 2012
Posts: 362
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| Posted: Jun 16, 2013 22:10 Post subject: Re: A mineralogical trip through the regions of the UK - Wales |
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Cerussite from Mid Wales.
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Cerussite twins.
Logaulas Mine, Ysbyty Ystwyth, Ceredigion, Wales, UK.
Twins to 1 cm on 6 cm matrix. |
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43779 Time(s) |
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Ru Smith
Joined: 13 Oct 2012
Posts: 362
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| Posted: Jun 16, 2013 22:15 Post subject: Re: A mineralogical trip through the regions of the UK - Wales |
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Ewaldite on drusy quartz.
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Ewaldite.
Dolyhir Quarry, Old Radnor, Powys, Wales, UK.
2 mm crystal. |
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43778 Time(s) |
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ian jones
Joined: 29 Jul 2009
Posts: 112
Location: london
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| Posted: Jun 18, 2013 04:24 Post subject: Re: A mineralogical trip through the regions of the UK - Wales |
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Calcites from my local quarries north of Cardiff
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Calcite
Taff's Well Quarry, Taff's Well, Cardiff, Wales, UK
Calcite 6cm, collected 1981.
I was pleasantly surprised to open a copy of the calcite edition of Extra Lapis and see this photo used as an example of twinning. |
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43695 Time(s) |
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Calcite
Blaengwynlais Quarry, Bwlch-y-cwm, Cardiff, Wales, UK
120mm calcite crystal showing different growth phases, the latter white calcite partially coating an earlier crystal darkened by ironstaining. Collected 1979. |
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43731 Time(s) |
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Calcite and goethite
Blaengwynlais Quarry, Bwlch-y-cwm, Cardiff, Wales, UK
Goethite pseudomorphing a 20mm pyrite crystal grown on a somewhat weathered calcite crystal. The goethite, clearly contemporaneous with the calcite, is loose within the cavity and can be removed and replaced.
Having seen and collected numerous goethite pseudomorphs from Blaengwynlais Quarry, I have never seen a remotely similar specimen from this location. |
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43762 Time(s) |
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ian jones
Joined: 29 Jul 2009
Posts: 112
Location: london
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| Posted: Jun 21, 2013 02:25 Post subject: Re: A mineralogical trip through the regions of the UK - Wales |
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Another millerite, one of my favourites
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Millerite and Siderite
Ferndale Pits, Tylorstown, Rhondda-Cynon-Taff, Wales, UK
crystals to 20mm
Radiating spray of free-standing millerite crystals to 20mm, on siderite. This came out of a huge block of ironstone and then took a bit of getting back in one piece! Collected 1990. |
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43600 Time(s) |
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Jordi Fabre
Overall coordinator of the Forum
Joined: 07 Aug 2006
Posts: 5020
Location: Barcelona
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| Posted: Jun 21, 2013 03:39 Post subject: Re: A mineralogical trip through the regions of the UK - Wales |
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| ian jones wrote: | Millerite and Siderite
crystals to 20mm
Radiating spray of free-standing millerite crystals to 20mm, on siderite. This came out of a huge block of ironstone and then took a bit of getting back in one piece! Collected 1990. |
From where please?
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ian jones
Joined: 29 Jul 2009
Posts: 112
Location: london
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| Posted: Jun 21, 2013 04:01 Post subject: Re: A mineralogical trip through the regions of the UK - Wales |
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Odd, I had the location there originally, it seems to have disappeared between previewing it, making a change, and then posting.
Anyway, the location is Ferndale Pits, Tylorstown, Rhondda-Cynon-Taff, Wales, UK
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Jordi Fabre
Overall coordinator of the Forum
Joined: 07 Aug 2006
Posts: 5020
Location: Barcelona
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| Posted: Jun 21, 2013 04:44 Post subject: Re: A mineralogical trip through the regions of the UK - Wales |
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| Thanks Ian. Already located.
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ian jones
Joined: 29 Jul 2009
Posts: 112
Location: london
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| Posted: Jun 22, 2013 14:58 Post subject: Re: A mineralogical trip through the regions of the UK - Wales |
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Some of the World's best paracelsian comes from Wales
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Paracelsian
Bennalt mine, Lleyn Peninsular, Caernarvonshire, Wales, uk
Exceptional group of paracelsian crystals - the large doubly terminated crystal is 50mm. Ex collection Natural History Museum, London.
Specimen obtained by the Natural History Museum from Sir Arthur Russell in 1941, who in turn obtained it from G.J. Williams, the former Assistant Inspector for Metalliferous Mines and Quarries for the North Wales and Ireland Division. Specimen originally collected in 1919. |
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43482 Time(s) |
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Mike Wood
Joined: 16 Dec 2010
Posts: 456
Location: Northern England
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| Posted: Jun 22, 2013 18:05 Post subject: Re: A mineralogical trip through the regions of the UK - Wales |
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Magnificent specimen of paracelsian Ian.
Your millerites aren't bad either!
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Ru Smith
Joined: 13 Oct 2012
Posts: 362
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| Posted: Jun 22, 2013 22:23 Post subject: Re: A mineralogical trip through the regions of the UK - Wales |
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| That is a very special paracelsian, Ian. I'm amazed the museum released it.
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ian jones
Joined: 29 Jul 2009
Posts: 112
Location: london
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| Posted: Jun 23, 2013 02:48 Post subject: Re: A mineralogical trip through the regions of the UK - Wales |
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Thanks guys, the paracelsian was a trade for a rather exceptional mendipite. It is on display in the gallery.
This mornings pictures are an historical anglesite from Parys Mountain and a wavellite/variscite from The Gower. No more for a while as I'm off to Ste Marie.
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Anglesite
Mona Mine, Parys Mountain, Amlwch, Anglesey, Wales, UK
Anglesite crystals to 10mm.
From the type locality and very good for the location. Ex Dr T B Wilson (1807-1865) and William S Vaux (1811-82) Collections from the Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences Collection.
Collected c1790 when the mine worked through the gossan. |
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43359 Time(s) |
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Wavellite and Variscite
Pwll Du Head, Bishopston, Swansea, Wales, UK
Wavellite, 6-10mm diameter. Variscite balls 0.5mm
Rich, inter-grown, radiating, acicular lime-green crystals of wavellite, 6-10mm diameter, on and inter-grown with 0.5mm balls of cream to translucent greyish variscite, in a thin joint on red iron-rich chert.
Variscite identification confirmed at the National Museum of Wales, this was the first recorded occurrence of variscite in Wales. Collected July 1997. |
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43357 Time(s) |
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ian jones
Joined: 29 Jul 2009
Posts: 112
Location: london
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| Posted: Oct 05, 2013 16:41 Post subject: Re: A mineralogical trip through the regions of the UK - Wales |
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Rather feel that I've been neglecting Wales.
A millerite from Ferndale Pits. I have probably spent 1000s of hours collecting on the south Wales coaltips. They have, sadly, almost all been moved or landscaped now. This is a reminder of what could, very occasionally, if you were very lucky, be found.
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Millerite
Ferndale 8&9 Pits, Ferndale, Rhondda, Cynon, Taff, Wales, UK
Millerite, main spray 22mm.
The green alteration has often been described as morenosite, but analysis at the National Museum of Wales on a number of specimens failed to find it, returning at best a mixture. Morenosite is a yet unproven in the S Wales coalfield.
However, analysis of a particularly rich example from Llanbradach Colliery by my friend Prof. Pete Williams at the University of Western Sydney showed this, at least, to be nicklehehahydrite. |
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42433 Time(s) |
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