Cleator Moor (West Cumberland iron field)
54.4783° N, 3.5175° W · ± 10 km
Hematite from Cumbria, United Kingdom, with photos of specimens from this locality.
Minerals found here
Hematite at Cleator Moor (West Cumberland iron field)
Classic Cumbrian kidney ore, with specular hematite and quartz in cavities.
- Formula
- Fe₂O₃
- Morphology
- Kidney ore (rounded, botryoidal) and bladed specular hematite
- Color / luster
- Metallic, often satin sheen; reddish internal layers on broken surfaces
- Availability
- Scarce
- History
- Handbook lists Cleator Moor; West Cumbrian ore was mined until the Florence Mine closed in 2007
Geology of the locality
- Setting
- Iron-rich fluids replaced Lower Carboniferous limestone, forming irregular hematite replacement ore bodies; kidney ore and specular hematite line cavities.
- Type
- Hydrothermal
- Host rock
- Lower Carboniferous limestone
- Region
- Cumbria
- Country
- United Kingdom
Specimen locality is Cleator Moor. Coordinates are those of the Florence Mine at Egremont (Mindat), a few km away in the same iron field, so only an approximate position of the field. Ore field worked until Florence Mine closed in 2007.
Sources
- SRC-229 · Book
Handbook of Mineralogy - HematiteAnthony, J.W.; Bideaux, R.A.; Bladh, K.W.; Nichols, M.C. · 2005 · Mineralogical Society of America - SRC-246 · Museum / collection
Hematite (NMNH 36085), Cleator MoorSmithsonian National Museum of Natural History · 2024 · Smithsonian Institution - SRC-247 · Website
Florence Mine, Egremont, Copeland, Cumbria, England, UKMindat.org · Mindat.org - SRC-248 · Website
Florence Mine (GCR 36)Scottish Geology Trust (GeoGuide) · Scottish Geology Trust - SRC-249 · Website
Hematite from Egremont, UKEarthWonders · EarthWonders
Draft data from the Provenite workbook. Check entries against the cited sources before relying on them. Photos are open-licence images from Wikimedia Commons; the author and licence are given with each photo.