Detailed information
Species
Fluorite, Quartz, Galena
Dimensions
30 x 44 x 35
mm
Weight
65 g
Locality
Murton Mine, Scordale Hilton, Escarpment District Cumbria, England
Condition
No recorded repairs
This sweet miniature specimen comes from Hilton mine in northern England. A dark iron-rich matrix is coated with a thin layer of small sparkling Quartz crystals with a few associated small tarnished cubo-octahedral Galena crystals. Upon this surface the main focal point is a cubic Fluorite crystal, 1.2 cm on edge, which has very sharp edges. This crystal is gemmy with a paler golden yellow colour, but with internal areas with wispy inclusions. Unusually, the crystal appears to be two crystals stacked perfectly on top of one another. This can be seen by a straight line through the middle following the cubic form, but cannot be a fracture as the cleavage planes in Fluorite run at 45 degrees to the cubic faces. The rear of the crystal displays a complex stepped sloping surface possibly relating to twinning.