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Jesse Fisher · Joined: 18 Mar 2009 Posts: 639 Location: San Francisco

The Corner Pocket was so named because it formed a corner alcove on the north edge of the West Crosscut zone of flats that we had been working since 2001. Fluorite crystals from this area were typically small, often on a matrix of white crystalline quartz, and often with a partial coating of a later generation, fine grained quartz. Stalactite-like forms were common in the pocket, such as the one below.

ian jones · Joined: 29 Jul 2009 Posts: 112 Location: london

Fluorite from Frazer's Hush showing an unusual purple exterior over a pale green inner core.

Jesse Fisher · Joined: 18 Mar 2009 Posts: 639 Location: San Francisco

Until it's final close in 1987 the Blackdene Mine was one of the major specimen-producing mines in the area. One of the largest finds in the recent history of the mine occurred in the early 1970s. The specimens are typically masses of small, bright purple twinned fluorite crystals with associated cube-octahedral galena crystals and occasional chalcopyrite, and are immediately recognizable.

A former Blackdene miner who frequents the pub near where we stay each summer in Weardale told me a story about the find. Evidently the find was quite large, and many of the miners (including him) were involved in collecting specimens as a sideline to their mining duties. The mine management would usually ignore this as long as it didn't interfere with their regular work. The miners who were interested in collecting would usually try to be somewhat circumspect, and would limit themselves to one powder box full of specimens each shift, which they would load on top of the mine's battery locomotive and haul out at the end of the shift. Evidently, one miner by the name of Bobby Reid was not quite so circumspect and would take as much as he could get his hands on. He became a major source of specimens from this find for the mineral dealers who visited the area, but on one occasion he managed to irritate a customer by holding out for too high a price. The customer evidently went to the mine management and tried to cut a deal directly with them for specimens. Instead of getting a better deal, this only brought the level of collecting activity to their attention and resulted on a total crackdown on the practice. The find is sometimes referred to as "Bobby Reid's Pocket" in his honor.

Jesse Fisher · Joined: 18 Mar 2009 Posts: 639 Location: San Francisco

Just to be a little self-indulgent, here is one of my favorite Rogerley specimens, recovered from the Jewel Box Pocket on literally the last day of mining for the season in late August 2007.

Jesse Fisher · Joined: 18 Mar 2009 Posts: 639 Location: San Francisco

Bicolor fluorite with calcite, Blackdene Mine. Likely recovered during mining on the Slitt Vein in the early 1970s.

Jesse Fisher · Joined: 18 Mar 2009 Posts: 639 Location: San Francisco

Things have gone a bit quiet here, so perhaps time for a few more fluorites. Both are from the Cambokeels Mine, which was one of the later operating fluorspar mines in Weardale, and a fairly prolific specimen producer. Both came from a fairly vuggy area in the mine known as the "Zinc Flats" in 1987-1988, shortly before final closure of the mine.