Hydrocerussite with Crednerite and Malachite

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This large miniature specimen from Torr Works quarry (known to mineral collectors as Merehead quarry) consists of a 4 cm long open cavity within undifferentiated lead-rich powdery black manganese oxides. The cavity is lined firstly by Calcite/Cerussite and is then overgrown into the cavity by freestanding orthorhombic Cerussite crystals (to 5 mm in length) and large, typical frosted white, platy, Hydrocerussite crystals (to 10 mm across). At one end of the cavity clusters of dark coloured bladed/acicular Crednerite crystals are associated with green Malachite. Several of the large platy Hydrocerussite crystals are intact and aligned parallel to each other, but others show broken surfaces where they were attached to the other side of the cavity before it was split open. The split surface shows that some of the Hydrocerussite crystals reached over 2 cm in length. The Cerussite crystals are small, but perfectly formed, and at first impression look exactly like orthorhombic Baryte crystals, but are a rare form for Cerussite. 'Crednerite' is actually a complex group of species with different crystalline structures and at some point these Mendip's Crednerite's will probably be divided into several distinct species. An accompanying collectors label records that this specimen was collected in May 1981. A lovely British classic from a famous quarry.