Parkinsonite in Mendipite

The rare oxychloride minerals from Torr Works quarry in Somerset, England, are highly sought after and Parkinsonite is one of the rarest species found here. This locality is known more commonly amongst mineral collectors as Merehead quarry, yet the official and correct name is Torr Works. In this large thumbnail specimen, a matrix of sooty-black Pyrolusite contains a 14 x 8 mm patch of lustrous, silky pale pink Mendipite, a lead oxychloride. Over this, in three very small, sub-millimetre patches, pale pink Parkinsonite forms as very minute crystals. Under magnification of between 25x to 30x, these crystals, although still micro, are seen to be letter-box red (bright scarlet), the classic colour most associated with the very rare lead-molybdenum oxychloride, Parkinsonite. The species is named for British collector and dealer, Reginald F.D. Parkinson (1928-1993).