Chycornish Carn (?), Crowns Rock, Botallack, St Just, St Just District, Cornwall, England, UK

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In 1822, Carne notes: "About six months ago, a mass of beautiful garnets, of a deep red colour, was found imbedded in the rock [in a footnote: The rock here appears to contain chlorite, as well as hornblende and quartz], not far from low water mark, at the foot of Chycornish Carn, about a quarter of a mile south of Botallack. Some of the crystals are larger than hazel-nuts, and most of them were twenty-four sided. Some specimens of a very superior order were procured, each having from one to two hundred crystals on its face."

There is, however, some debate about the true locality of these specimens, some of which are preserved in the collection of the British Museum of Natural History. Chycornish Carn is an isolated rock in the sea, about 40 yards off Crowns Rock, north-west of the Botallack mine. According to Carne, however, the specimens were recovered from a place located a quarter of a mile in the opposite direction. Whether this is just a simple mistake in the locality description is not known. Comparable specimens were never found again, neither at Chycornish Carn, nor anywhere else in the area around Botallack Mine. On the other hand, Carne's report suggests that the locality was collected out, a fact which still leaves Chycornish Carn as the possible location.

For these reasons, the locality is listed with a question mark. The grid reference is that of Chycornish Carn.

References

- Carne, J. (1822): On the Mineral Productions and the Geology of the Parish of St. Just. Transactions of the Royal Geological Society of Cornwall 2, 290-358.

Mineral List

Almandine

1 entry listed. 1 valid mineral.