Detailed information
Species
Hematite
Dimensions
88 x 125 x 33
mm
Weight
982 g
Locality
William Pit No. 1 Hodbarrow Mine Millom, Cumbria, England
Condition
No recorded repairs
A 27 mm thick layer of compact fibrous Hematite, slightly botryoidal in form, but covered completely on the upper surface with star-like bursts of silvery grey metallic Hematite. The radiating sprays range from a few mm to 1 cm in diameter. A most unusual specimen with very precise provenance - from William Pit No. 1 at Hodbarrow Mine near Millom, Cumbria. The William Pit is described in detail in A. Harris' 1970 book about Hodbarrow mine - Cumberland Iron: The story of Hodbarrow mine 1855-1968. Hodbarrow mine was by far the biggest of the British iron mines, producing over 25 million tons of high-grade ore.