Mimetite

specimen number:
2063224

location:
Dry Gill Mine, Caldbeck Fells, Cumbria, England, UK

description:
Classic British specimen with bright rounded crystal groupings of mimetite to 0.4 cm in diameter on matrix. In good condition. The specimen comes with a previous label from the collection of Ray DeMark.

Dry Gill Mine, located in the Caldbeck Fells of Cumbria, England, is famous for its secondary lead mineralization within an east-west trending vein hosted by volcanic and sedimentary rocks. Unlike most regional workings that targeted lead metal or galena, the mine was worked commercially in the mid-nineteenth century specifically to extract lead arsenate for use as a flux in local glassmaking. The locality is renowned world-wide for producing campylite, a distinctive barrel-shaped variety of mimetite characterized by curved, rounded crystal habits that range in color from rich orange-yellow to reddish-brown. These classic campylite crystals typically occur in association with white baryte and dark manganese oxides, making specimens from Dry Gill Mine highly prized among mineral collectors.

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