Witherite

Unknown Owner

Only recently discovered at the famous Hilton mine, reasonably well crystallised Witherite has been found on top of Calcite and this make a find addition to any suite of minerals from either Hilton mine or the Scordale area of east Cumbria. Almost snow-white, hexagonal Witherite crystals averaging 1.5 cm across have developed on a massive Calcite matrix overgrown with crude large Calcite crystals covered in a drusy Calcite crust. Witherite is a relatively rare barium carbonate and up until now, it has mainly (possibly only) found as more massive, radiating fan like masses. When exposed to LWUV, after between 15 and 30 seconds some of the Witherite fluoresces dull cherry red; some dull saffron yellow and some is non-fluorescent. There certainly looks like something worthy of investigation here! A rare opportunity to obtain crystallise Witherite from Hilton mine in Scordale, about 8.5 km east of Appleby-in-Westmorland, Cumbria.