Goethite

Unknown Owner

Lustrous black botryoidal goethite covering the top of matrix. In good condition. The Londonderry iron mines in Colchester County, Nova Scotia, began operating around 1849 after iron ore was discovered in the mid 1840s. Originally known as Acadia Mines, the site became one of the province's most important 19th century iron producers, with major operations at the Old Mountain, East, and West Mines that together produced over two million tons of ore. Iron was processed on site using blast furnaces and coke ovens, but declining ore quality, high costs, and outside competition led to closure by 1908. Today, slag heaps and old coke ovens remain as reminders of the area's industrial past.