Rock 366 : Day 3 : Sphalerite

Day 3 : This is a sample collected on the previous day from the mine spoil heaps at Yewthwaite Comb on the western side of Catbells, Lake District, Cumbria, England.  The Lake District is quite heavily mineralised with Ordovician copper mineralisation along east-west faults and Carboniferous lead-zinc veins trending north-south.  The fireplace in the Swinside Inn in the Newlands Valley has large samples of galena and sphalerite rich vein rock built into the surround. I found the sphalerite zinc-ore sample here in the mine dumps on the walk back from the pub.