Baryte (Stalactitic Section)

Dirtlow Rake is a long, mineralised vein extending for a few kilometres just south of the delightful village of Castleton in the Derbyshire Peak District.  This deposit was worked for many years by various mines along its strike and although only ten mineral species have been recorded, some of the forms are exquisite and are now classics.  Baryte is one, and this lovely miniature is part of a Baryte stalactite, or to be more accurate, a pseudo-stalactite.  These were a reasonably common occurrence within certain sections of the vein, but it seems few were ever collected and are now scarce in British collections.  Stood on it flat sawn and polished base, the Baryte forms two botryoidal yellowish-tan cream mounds covered in weathered small cockscomb Baryte crystals.  The sawn section reveals the concentrically banded internal agate-like structure, in shades of cream, flesh pink, and creamy-tan.  Some of the bands contain sub-1 mm grains of bright silver Galena.