Hydroxyapophyllite-K

specimen number:
2102191

location:
Cornwall Mines, Lebanon Co., Pennsylvania, USA

description:
A loose floater aesthetic grouping of lustrous partly gemmy colorless crystals of hydroxylapophyllite. No points of attachment and complete all around, in excellent condition. Choice miniature for the species from this classic locality.

The Cornwall Iron Mines, located in Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, represent one of the most significant and long-lived mineral operations in American history. Geologically, the site is a classic magnetite skarn deposit formed during the Triassic Period when basaltic diabase sills intruded into Cambrian-aged limestones, causing contact metasomatism. This process replaced the carbonate rocks with massive bodies of magnetite ore. Historically, the mines began operation in 1742 under Peter Grubb and provided essential iron for the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. The site saw continuous production for over 230 years, transitioning from the massive open-cast Cornwall Banks to deep underground workings before finally closing in 1973 due to flooding from Hurricane Agnes. Today, the Cornwall Iron Furnace is preserved as a National Historic Landmark, commemorating the district's role as a titan of the early American industrial revolution and a source of world-class mineral specimens.

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