Fluorite with Calcite

specimen number:
2062827

location:
Cambokeels Mine, Westgate, Stanhope, Co., Durham, England, UK

description:
Classic grouping of light purple glassy gemmy penetration twinned fluorite crystals without matrix. These are lightly dusted with lustrous small colorless crystals of calcite. In very good condition with just slight micro-damage present along the far left edge of the piece only. Brightly fluorescent under longwave ultraviolet light. The specimen comes with two previous labels, one from the collection of Ray DeMark. The second label makes interesting reading as seen at the end of the video.

The Cambokeels Mine, situated along the Slitt Vein in Weardale within County Durham, England, exhibits classic North Pennine geology characterized by mineralized fault structures cutting through Carboniferous limestone, sandstone, and shale strata. Initially opened in the mid-19th century for lead extraction, the site experienced early closures due to poor initial yields before being extensively revitalized in the 20th century as a major commercial producer of high-grade industrial spar. It evolved into one of the region's deepest and most prolific underground operations, yielding significant quantities of associated minerals until its final closure and abandonment in the late 1980s, subsequently becoming a site of significant historical interest for mineral collectors and industrial heritage researchers exploring the Weardale orefield.

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