Wheal Forest (Forest Mine; Okement Consols), Okehampton area (Northern Dartmoor), Devon, England, UK

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One of three mines working a broken line of what De la Beche (1839) referred to as tin lodes that ran across Homerton and Longstone Hills. However, these are now considered to be a sulphide-rich mineralised bed, rather than being true lodes, and the minerals present are largely the copper, iron and arsenic suphides.

Whilst the early workings of Forest mine are unknown, the mine was restated in 1855 under the name of Okement Consols, the set being claimed to have previously developed to 30 fathoms and to have five copper lodes and one of lead, but working was soon abandoned. Although restarted again with its original name in 1870, nothing further is reported, and the mine was clearly unsuccessful.

Dines (1956) notes that the country rock contains much axinite and is traversed by veinlets of quartz with chalcopyrite and mispickel [chalcopyrite].

According to Sir Arthur Russell, the mine is located "in Meldon Gorge, on the right bank of the West Okement River, about half a mile up from the viaduct." The directions given by Hamilton Jenkin place the mine within the later Meldon reservoir.

Mineral List

Albite var: Oligoclase 'Apatite' Arsenopyrite

'Axinite Group' Chalcopyrite 'Garnet'

'Heulandite' Orthoclase Quartz

9 entries listed. 4 valid minerals.

References

External Links