Hematite

specimen number:
1052614

location:
Frizington, Cumbria, England, UK

description:

Classic old specimen from Great Britain, lustrous botryoidal kidney ore hematite specimen. In good condition. The specimen comes with an antique label as shown at the end of the video. This label gives in acquisition date of 1907.

Frizington, situated in the West Cumberland Iron Ore District of Cumbria, England, is a world-renowned locality for the mammillated variety of hematite known as kidney ore. Geologically, the deposits formed during the Triassic period through the replacement of Carboniferous limestones by iron-rich hydrothermal fluids, resulting in massive, high-grade hematite bodies within the fault systems of the Whitehaven district. The kidney ore habit is characterized by smooth, radiating, botryoidal masses that resemble human kidneys, often displaying a brilliant metallic luster called specularite on their surfaces. Historically, mining and quarrying in the Frizington area reached its zenith during the mid-to-late 19th century to supply the growing British steel industry. Prominent operations such as the Parkside Mine and the High House Mine were active from roughly the 1850s until the early 20th century, with most industrial production tapering off by the 1920s as deeper reserves became uneconomical to pump. Although the heavy headframes have long been dismantled, the district remains a legendary site for mineral collectors, and its classic hematite specimens are found in museums worldwide.

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