Cerussite

A Cerussite crystal nestles snuggly in a broad, deep vug (3.5 x 2 x 3 cm) in a sooty black Cryptomelane-type manganese oxide matrix, typical material from the exotically mineralised manganese pods found in Torr works quarry in the later 1900s and early 2000s. The milky-white Cerussite forms a thick-set crystal of about 3 cm long, but difficult to measure exactly due to being partly hidden within one side of the vug. The Cerussite is semi-rounded due to natural etching, yet clearly shows a reticulated habit with smaller crystals branching out from the main axis. A good example from Torr Works quarry, also known to collectors as Merehead quarry.