Baryte and Fluorite

This impressive miniature of deep purple cubic Fluorite crystals overgrown with hemispherical clusters of off-cream cockscomb Baryte is a great example of the mineralisation characteristic of Ball Eye mine at Bonsall in Derbyshire.  This large quarry lies just a little west of Cromford to the south and the popular tourist town of Matlock Bath to its north.  The Fluorite forms sharp cubic crystals to 8 mm on edge, of intensely dark inky opaque blue, which appear black.  The Baryte hemispheres are liberally strewn across the Fluorite crystals with diameters ranging from 3 mm to 1.8 cm.  Although probably not that well known outside of the UK, this is certainly one of Derbyshire’s more famous mineral localities.