Hematite

specimen number:
1655084

location:
Florence Mine, Egremont, Cumbria, England, UK

description:

Classic British specimen, this an attractive and neat shell like lustrous and smooth botryoidal example of hematite, the type often called kidney ore. The shell like nature of the piece is very evident in the video. In great condition.

Egremont in west Cumbria, England lies within a long established iron mining district where high grade hematite iron ore was exploited from the mid 19th century into the 20th century, helping supply the region and British steelworks. The area around Egremont, Moor Row and Bigrigg was part of the West Cumberland iron field that expanded rapidly with the coming of railways in the 1850s and grew into one of the main iron ore mining regions in northern England. The most famous local operation was the Florence Mine, first sunk in 1914 and later linked with Ullcoats and Beckermet workings, which became the last deep working iron ore mine in Europe before finally closing in 2007. Iron ore mining in this district shaped local industry and communities, and the pit head at Florence Mine is now a preserved historic site.

Questions about this specimen?
Send an email or call us: 314-341-1811.