Image Credit: Malcolm Southwood
Image Credit: Malcolm Southwood
Specimen Title
Smithsonite
Associated Minerals
calcite; conichalcite-duftite; mimetite; willemite (?)
Principal Mineral
Size
Cabinet; 100mm
Location in the Mine
Undetermined
Provenance
Hall, P.
Collection
Southwood, M.; MS2011.002
Entry Number
Specimen; TSNB790
Associated Minerals
calcite; conichalcite-duftite; mimetite; willemite (?)
Description
A druse of pale lime-green saccharoidal smithsonite richly encrusting a knob of brecciated (?) and iron-stained dolostone. Smithsonite crystals are mostly < 1.5 mm but exceptionally to 4 mm. The back of the specimen shows a little calcite, mimetite, conichalcite-duftite and a few crystals of willemite (?).
The specimen was purchased from Australian collector Peter Hall in 2011 but with no record of earlier provenance or location in the mine.
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 hypothesised that the colour is due to the presence of Cu (21772 ppm) which is almost certainly in solid solution in the smithsonite.
