Fluorite with Siderite

specimen number:
2282028

location:
Boltsburn Mine, Rookhope, Durham, England, UK

description:
Yellow gemmy cubic crystals of fluorite to 2.5 cm on edge in a cluster and accented nicely with crystallized siderite. In good condition. Brightly fluorescent.

The Boltsburn mine, located near Rookhope in the Weardale region of County Durham, England, is an historic underground lead mining operation famous for producing exceptional fluorite specimens, including classic twins of a deep purple to bluish-green hue. Geologically, the deposit consists of Mississippi Valley-Type (MVT) mineralized veins and extensive flats or replacement bodies hosted within Carboniferous Great Limestone sequences. Hydrothermal fluids circulating along regional faults deposited galena, iron-rich carbonates like siderite, quartz, and fluorite in highly mineralized solution cavities within the limestone. While mining in the Rookhope district has ancient roots, large-scale systematic extraction at Boltsburn began around 1816 under the Beaumont Company and was later taken over by the Weardale Lead Company in 1883. The mine became immensely successful in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries following the discovery of the incredibly rich Boltsburn Flats in 1892, sustaining major production until economic ore reserves were exhausted, leading to the permanent closure of the mine in 1931.

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