Famous Mineral Localities:
Botallack, Cornwall
Trevor Wolloxall
Though not one of the greatest mines in terms of output, Botallack is
one of the best known mines in Cornwall. With its engine houses clinging
to the sides of rugged cliffs, and the Atlantic waves pounding the rocks
beneath, it has become one of the most sketched, painted and photographed
mines in the country. The Botallack sett includes the type localities
for stokesite and botallackite, and is famous for specimens of axinite,
almandine, connellite, hematite, goethite and paratacamite.

The History of
Ystrad Einion Mine
Simon J. S Hughes
One of the most impressive remains of Nineteenth Century
metalliferous mining in the United Kingdon is the Cwm Einion waterwheel.
However, in comparison with nearby Cwmystwyth, Goginan or Darren Mines,
Cwm Einion's output was insignificant and its history is little documented.
In this brief article, the history of the mine, from its discovery to
its abandonment, will be described and further consideration given to
the present day remains.

Minerals of Trearne Quarry,
Beith, Ayrshire, Scotland
J. Gordon Todd
This locality in the Midland Valley of Scotland has long been famous
for the excellent preservation of its Carboniferous fossils. A recent
survey of the minerals yielded eleven species, the most notable being
stronitonite and fluorite. The majority of crystal specimens are small
and are most suited to microscopic study.

Curiously Ornamented Cassiterite
from
Whiteworks, Carharrack, Cornwall
R. Morton
Dr. K. F. G. Hosking
The cassiterite, upon which this note is based, was collected underground
by one of us (RM) from what is locally referred to as Whiteworks, a trial
shaft which was opened in 1935 at the old Carharrack Mine. During the
period 1935-39 about two tons of 'black tin' (cassiterite) concentrates
per month were produced for a time, largely from the 200 feet-deep workings.
It was from this horizon that the material under review was collected
in 1985.

The Development of Mining Methods on
Lindal Moor, Cumbria
Alan McFadzean
In a recent article (McFadzean, 1988) the history and geology
of the Lindal Moor hematite mines in the Furness peinisula was described.
This article traces the development of mining methods from the crude pits
of the Cistercian monks to the extensive underground complex of the early
20th century.

An Iberian Interlude
The Mines of South East Spain
R. H. Bird
Mining in the Iberian peininsula is of considerable antiquity; even in
the time of Ezekiel, Spanish mineral wealth had been discovered and was
being exploited. Later, Agricola mentions in his volume De Re Metallica,
that the Lusitanians were melting tin from the stone in small furnaces.
Cassiterite was found and worked at many locations in Spain, and indeed,
in the later 19th and earlier 20th centuries, tin ore was worked opencast
in the same region, Roman mining for gold is well documented.

Minerals in Glacial Erratics
from
Thurstaston Beach,
Wirral, Merseyside
Mike Rothwell
John Dickinson
Large areas of the north west of England are, or have been, covered by
glacial drift. This is the case on the Wirral peninsula in Mersyside and
along the coastal plain from Liverpool northwards towards Southport and
Preston. The geology of the Wirral peninsula is characterised by Triassic
sandstone mostly overlain by a layer of Boulder Clay, in places up to
100 feet thick.
Whilst of some interest to the palaeontologist, because of an occurence
of Saurian footprints (Cheirotherium) at Storeton, the sandstone offers
little to interest the mineral collector. On the other hand, the Boulder
Clay contains large numbers of erratic rocks of many sizes, types and
origins; some of these erratics contain small cavities in which well-formed
crystals may be found. Such rocks are particularly evident along Thurstaston
beach where they have been eroded by the sea from the Boulder Clay which
here form cliffs up to 50 feet high.

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