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.