Manganese Ore - Restormel (#1215)
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Fact sheet

Manganese Ore - Restormel (#1215)

Forming botryoidal growths (kidney-ore) this sample could easily be mistaken as iron ore, not least because it is from Restormel Royal mine which operated as an iron mine from at least 1797 until final closure in 1910. Between 1855 and 1883, 127,796 tons of iron ore were produced. However, as well as iron, the mine is also known for its manganese, bismuth, barium and uranium mineralisation.

Analysis has shown that the rich, dark brown ore in this sample is an intimate mixture of cryptomelane (a KMn oxide) and romanechite (a BaMn oxide). It's impossible to tell them apart optically.

Iron-manganese mineralisation occurs at low temperatures and marks the end of hydrothermal activity in the St Austell area.

See also Cotterell, T.F. (2010) An unusual manganese-bearing assemblage from Restormel, Lostwithiel, Cornwall. Journal of the Russell Society, 13, 53-56.

Additional images
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Map
50.418282, -4.674339
Precision:
Moderate
About this collection

A case study of the St Austell granite complex in Cornwall, England, illustrating the range of rocks associated with a granite intrusion. The earliest part of the complex is a siderophyllite (biotite) granite containing muscovite and tourmaline typical of a SW England granite, with many primary magmatic features.

This early intrusion was followed by the intrusion of an evolved volatile-rich magma which was the driving force behind a series of intense hydrothermal processes as volatiles escaped from this magma and helped to establish an extensive alteration halo (aureole). Boron, fluorine and lithium (as well as water) played major roles in the formation of the second intrusion and in the associated hydrothermal processes. Igneous activity lasted around 18 million years from 282 Ma (siderophyllite granite) to 265 Ma (fluorite granite).

 

Sample details

Collection: St Austell Granite
Type
mineral
Rock-forming mineral
cryptomelane
romanechite
quartz
Category guide  
Category Guide
Title
Refers to any word or phrase that appears in the individual rock names. Names are generally descriptive; they allow users to search for broad terms like ‘granite’ as well as more specific names such as ‘breccia’. However, the adjacent descriptions of the specimens captures a wider range of general words and phrases and is a more powerful search tool.
Description
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Accessory minerals
Minerals that occur in very low abundance in a rock. They are usually not visible with the naked eye and contribute perhapssver, they often dominate the rare elements such as platinum group metals.
Rock-forming minerals
Minerals that make up the bulk of all rock samples and are also the ones used in rock classi?cation.
Timescale
Selecting one or more period, for example 'Jurassic'.
Theme
A term used to group together related samples that are not already gathered into a single Collection. For instance, there is a ‘SW England granites’ theme that includes such rock types as granite, hydrothermal breccia, skarn and vein samples.
Category
A general term used to label a rock sample. It is a useful way of grouping similar samples throughout a collection. Category names are often, but not exclusively, common rock names (e.g. granite, basalt, dolerite, gabbro, greisen, skarn, gneiss, amphibolite, limestone, sandstone).
Owner
The owner of the sample that appears in the collection. For example, NASA owns all the samples that appear in the Moon Rocks collection
We would like to thank the following for the use of this sample: