Image Credit: Malcolm Southwood
Image Credit: Malcolm Southwood
Title
smithsonite
Principal Mineral
Size
Miniature; 45mm
Location in the Mine
Third oxidation zone (?)
Collection
Southwood, M. MS2013.216
Provenance
Bruce, I.
Entry Type
Specimen TSNB511
Description
A druse of intergrown salmon-pink to reddish-pink smithsonite, with sharp rhombohedral crystals (to 14mm). The crystals are moderately transparent and many of them display a curvilinear modification to one corner (compare TSNB510). There is essentially no matrix but a little grey-white calcite (?) and brown iron staining is present on the reverse.
The specimen was purchased from Ian Bruce but with no record of its earlier provenancne or location in the mine. However, smithsonites of this habit and colour have been attributed to the third oxidation zone, between 45 and 47 levels (Gebhard 1999).
The specimen has been analysed by EMPA-WDS and LA-ICP-MS as part of a study of the causes of colour in smithsonite (Weall 2023; Southwood et al. 2025). They hypothesise that the intense red-pink colour is due to high concentrations of Co (2290 ppm), Mn (3544 ppm) and Ni (3046 ppm) in combination. Analytical data is presented in Exhibit 2.
Associated Minerals
calcite (?)
