Titanite

specimen number:
2062332

location:
Lake Baptiste Rd., Bancroft, Ontario, Canada

description:
Lustrous sharp crystals of titanite to 1.5 cm in size in a cluster with little attached matrix. In great condition. Complete all around. Collected in 1968.

The Bancroft area, located in Hastings County, Ontario, Canada, is a prominent mineral-producing region historically mined for uranium, nepheline syenite, corundum, and sodalite. Geologically, the region lies within the Central Metasedimentary Belt of the Mesoproterozoic Grenville Province, a complex terrain featuring highly metamorphosed sedimentary rocks, silicated marbles, and alkaline intrusive complexes including nepheline-bearing pegmatites. Hydrothermal activity and high-grade regional metamorphism facilitated the crystallization of diverse mineral species within skarns and pegmatites, notably fluor-richterite, apatite, sodalite, and beta-uranophane. Commercial mining in the district began in the late nineteenth century with small-scale operations for mica, apatite, and corundum, followed by the development of sodalite quarries such as the Princess Quarry in 1906. Uranium mining emerged as a major industry during the mid-twentieth century, with primary operations at the Bicroft mine running from 1956 to 1962 and the Faraday mine operating from 1957 to 1964, before reopening as the Madawaska mine from 1976 to 1982. While large-scale industrial metal mining has ceased, industrial mineral quarrying for nepheline syenite and localized specimen extraction for the collector market continue into the 2020s.

Questions about this specimen?
Send an email or call us: 314-341-1811.