Bryn-yr-Afr Mine, Ponterwyd, Trefeirig, Ceredigion, Wales, UK
© Steve Rust
Drosgol Mine, Ponterwyd, Trefeirig, Ceredigion, Wales, UK
Area 8mm. Veinlet of crystalline chalcophanite.
The tiny prismatic crystals are Pyromorphite.
© steve rust
A large plate of quartz with inclusions of marcasite. Specimen size 20x15x5cms. Collected 1997.
Colourless apatite crystals to 0.6mm dia, on Fe stained quartz, with hire like crystals of rutile. Collected 1987.
0.6mm dia crystal on Fe stained muscovite, with hire like crystals of rutile. Collected 1997.
1mm group of colour zoned divergent pyromorphite. Collected 1997. Interestingly I have found pyromorphite as epiaxital crystals on apatite from this mine.
Typical example of millerite embeded in massive quartz from this mine. Image width about 6mm.
Camdwrmawr Mine, Ponterwyd, Trefeirig, Ceredigion, Wales, UK
A piece of mudstone showing surface ripples. As described by the British Geological Survey: Cwmere Formation - Mudstone And Laminated Hemipelagic Mudstone, Interbedded. Sedimentary Bedrock formed approximately 433 to 444 million years ago in the Silurian Period. These sedimentary rocks are marine in origin. They are detrital and comprise coarse- ...
© Ru Smith
A plate of mostly clear quartz crystals up to 10mm diameter. Many of the crystals contain inclusions of millerite (see the other photos of similar specimens from this location) as radiating clusters of bright metallic points. Some however contain white 'inclusions' of a similar form which may simply be opaque quartz that has replaced the ...
Radiating sprays of millerite within a quartz crystal. Field of view approx 3-4mm. Collected from the shore line in March, 2019.
Bwlch Ystyllen Mine, Ponterwyd, Trefeirig, Ceredigion, Wales, UK
Cubes, some showing prominently striated surfaces, the largest approximately 0.5mm.
A piece of quartz crystals up to 4mm diameter, some with a slight orange iron (?) staining. Some of the crystals contain millerite though in this piece as black lobed inclusions.
A piece of mostly clear quartz crystals, though some with a slight orange iron (?) staining up to 4mm diameter. Many of the crystals contain inclusions of millerite as radiating clusters of bright metallic points.
A piece of mostly clear quartz crystals, though some with a slight orange iron (?) staining up to 4mm diameter. Many of the crystals contain millerite though in this piece as black lobed inclusions.
Clear quartz crystals up to 10mm diameter.
An inclusion of marcasite (see the other photo of a similar specimen from this location) as radiating clusters of bright metallic points within one of the quartz crystals seen in the full sample image.
Hair-like crystals of Rutile with a tubular round crystal of Apatite with white-colourless crystals of Albite and Quartz with a thin coating of Goethite.
Fractured acicular crystals of Millerite with later black, yellow-brown Sphalerite and Chalcopyrite with small areas of Quartz.
Secondary minerals are rare from this mine.
A general view of the mine dumps, across Nant y Moch Reservoir.
View from the mine dumps to the Craig-y-Pistyll reservoir, that was constructed to provide water for the mines in the valley of Afon Leri. P Haas photograph, May 2005.
© Peter Haas
View of the extensive dumps on the shore of the Nant-y-Moch reservoir. P Haas photograph, May 2005.
View of the wheel pit, located on the slope below the main dump. P Haas photograph, May 2005.
Reproduced from Old Maps UK under the not for commercial use condition. Camdwrmawr is the mine to the right of the image and the modern shore line of the reservoir passes approximately north-south between the track and the old level, everything to the left of that is lost. The little round circle north of the mine is the location of the ruin I ...
Set away from the main site this is consistent with being a magazine for storing powder for blasting.
The main tip is the brown discoloured patch just left of centre of the photo. To the left of that tip and almost on the edge of the photo is a small grey patch of stones that lie at the entrance to a level. To the right of the tip is another a little up the slope and from the top of that running to the left up the valley is the line of a ...
Wheel pit and tip.
Using the fence enclosing the site as a marker, the thick straining post on the left is right beside the pumping shaft. Just left and outside of the fence and above the post is a slight depression of another shaft collar. On the far left of the photo is a post and just above that the line of the leat around the hillside can be seen (this is now ...
As well as the tip, to the middle left of the photo are the fence posts around the shaft/quarry.
The leat is quite apparent in the foreground and left of that in parallel potentially 2 others. The main tip is in the top right. Dead centre of the photo where the track vanishes is the wheel pit and left of that perhaps a blocked level. In the foreground of the level and wheel pit is a prominent bank covered in slightly more yellow ...
Taken from the position of the stay fixing pictured elsewhere, additional timbers can be seen standing up from the shore at a place where a number of tree trunks are lined up side-by-side possibly capping a shaft. From the water line a number of other items could be seen under the water including a series of concrete slabs.
With the lower water level more artefacts had been exposed along the shore of the reservoir including this post approximately 12 inches tall with the fixing for what was presumably a stay to a tall piece of equipment, which was most likely in reference to the 1888 Ordnance Survey map the aqueduct shown to the bottom left of the site plan.
The pumping rod would have come across the tip where the patch of brown is to a waterwheel that would have been a little to the left of the end of the fence in the water.
Reproduced from Old Maps UK under the not for commercial use condition. A line ruled left to right above the name Bryn-yr-afr Mine (lead) would correspond closely to the modern shore line of the reservoir, everything below (south) of that is lost.
The shoreline below the tips is littered with pieces of metalwork from pipes to tram rails and other miscellaneous fragments.
There are some very large timbers down there.
The water level in the reservoir was perhaps 3m lower than in April revealing more of the beach and in this view with the low angle sunlight the leats along the hillside are highlighted. Overnight it rained or maybe RAINED! and the level was up over 1m by mid-morning next day.
Tips on the shore of the reservoir. The open shafts are in the top left of the picture. Sept., 2019.
The tip contains much iron oxide cemented material but mineral samples are few and far between. Beyond the grassy crown of the tip is the shaft collar and then a further small tip
Filled and grassed over.