Detailed information
Species
Boracite
Dimensions
55 x 77 x 20
mm
Weight
68 g
Locality
Panel 215, Boulby Mine Loftus North Yorkshire, England
Condition
No recorded repairs
Boracite is a very rare magnesium chloro-borate mineral found in a very small number of evaporite deposits worldwide. The world's largest crystals are those from the area of the original, early 19th century discovery, in Germany in what is the southern end of the ancient Zechstein Sea. Although well-formed, the German Boracite crystals are mostly pale grey coloured, whilst at the other end of the Zechstein Sea - underneath the modern North Sea off the coast of North Yorkshire in England - beautiful pale celestial blue Boracite occurs, albeit rarely. This beautiful large miniature specimen was discovered in January 1994 in Panel 215 - the mine worked in a grid system with each working face known as a 'panel'. It was originally owned by Lindsay & Patricia Greenbank from whom it passed over to the USA in Scott J. Williams' collection. From there, in 2007, it went to Australia with Malcolm Southwood. A fine, well-travelled modern British classic with all of these previous collection labels preserved.