Mimetite

specimen number:
2102014

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

description:
Mimetite from Dry Gill Mine in the Caldbeck Fells of Cumbria, England occurs in the oxidized zones of lead bearing hydrothermal veins hosted in Ordovician volcanic rocks. The Caldbeck Fells mining district was worked from the 16th through the 19th centuries for lead and copper, with numerous small underground mines developed along mineralized veins. Mimetite formed as a secondary mineral from the alteration of arsenic bearing lead ores and typically appears as yellow to orange hexagonal crystals lining cavities in the host rock. Specimens from Dry Gill Mine are well known among collectors and represent a classic occurrence of mimetite from this historic English mining district. This example shows the typical rounded and lustrous crystals measuring to almost 1.0 cm in size on matrix. In good condition, excellent thumbnail for this British classic.

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