Detailed information
Species
Brochantite
Dimensions
88 x 127 x 58
mm
Weight
615 g
Locality
Roughton Gill Caldbeck Fells Cumbria, England
Condition
No recorded repairs
Brochantite - copper sulphate hydroxide - is one of the rarer species recorded at the famous Roughton Gill area in the Caldbeck Fells, Cumbria, England. This larger specimen is an extremely early one, and despite being originally labelled as from "Cumberland" (the early name for the county of Cumbria) it has all the hallmarks of being from Roughton Gill. It was owned by Thomas Bellerby Wilson (1807-1865) one of the benefactors to the Philadelphia Academy of Sciences in the United States. It is highly likely that he obtained it from the famous British mineral dealer Bryce Wright Sr. (1814-1875) who specialized in Caldbeck Fells minerals and who was responsible for all of the famous early finds. Upon it, very visible deep emerald-green Brochantite forms sharp, glossy microcrystals in cavities and is dispersed as stains and infilling veinlets permeating through Quartz veinstone. The Quartz shows bladed textures indicative of replacement of Baryte (well-known from Roughton Gill) and one area shows pale green spherules of probable Tsumebite and rare yellow globular microcrystals of Pyromorphite. Ex Dr Stephen Crook Collection, it comes with two old Philadelphia Academy of Sciences labels.
