Detailed information
Dimensions
38 x 47 x 22
mm
Weight
60 g
Locality
Torr Works Quarry (Merehead Quarry) Cranmore, Somerset, England
Condition
No recorded repairs
Talk about a specimen which ticks all the boxes! From the much coveted locality of Torr Works quarry, aka Merehead quarry, at Cranmore in Somerset, England, this tremendous miniature hogs all the limelight. With its six rare mineral species, good colours for each species and a Richard W. Barstow white label, what is there not to like? The oxychloride mineralisation at Torr Works occurred in manganese pods and this particular specimen is from Vein No. 1. Torr Works quarry remains in full operation and is one of the largest working quarries in the UK. Typically, when I came to live in this area and only 43 minutes’ drive from Torr Works, the zone of rare mineralisation had run out and only aggregate is now mined. Covering an approximately 4.5 x 3.5 matrix of sooty black manganese oxides, foliated, candy pink Mendipite and pale lemon yellow Paralaurionite are prominent. As tiny occurrences amongst these are blue Diaboleite, dark green Chloroxiphite, black Crednerite and white Hydrocerussite.