Detailed information
Species
Barytocalcite, Calcite
Dimensions
110 x 65 x 40
mm
Locality
Nentsberry Haggs Mine Alston Moor, Cumbria England
Condition
No recorded repairs
Well-formed, 'sharks-fin' off-white coloured blades of Barytocalcite (the largest to 2.1 cm in length) form fan-like aggregates to 3.9 cm across, sitting proudly on a marly limestone matrix coated in small grey rhombohedral Calcite crystals. This habit of Barytocalcite is unique to Nentsberry Haggs mine near Nenthead in Alston Moor, Cumbria and most specimens like this came from the Admiralty Concession flats which required a considerable effort to get too. There is some damage to the tips of a few of the crystals, where their darker fudge-coloured interior shows through, but this does not detract from the overall size and impression that this fine English rarity gives. A north of England classic and not forgetting how rare Barytocalcite is as a species worldwide.