Bismuthinite with Chalcopyrite

specimen number:
1052485

location:
Fowey Consols, Cornwall, England, UK

description:
Classic Cornish specimen with metallic needle like crystals of bismuthinite measuring to 0.5 cm in length within a crystalline chalcopyrite matrix. This antique specimen at one time was part of the collection of Col. Rimington, a 19th century British mineral collector. The specimen comes with an antique label as shown at the end of the video.

Fowey Consols in Cornwall, England, was one of the most important copper and tin mines in the region during the early to mid 19th century, with major development beginning in the 1820s. The mine worked hydrothermal vein deposits hosted in slate and other sedimentary rocks near the south Cornish coast, where mineralizing fluids introduced copper, tin, and a variety of associated metals into fractures and lodes. At its peak, Fowey Consols was a major producer of copper before declining as ore grades decreased and economic conditions changed, with operations largely ceasing by the late 19th century. In addition to its economic output, the mine is known for a diverse suite of minerals, including bismuthinite, which occurs as metallic gray to silver gray crystals and fibrous aggregates within the ore veins.

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