Wheal Unity, Gwennap, Cornwall, England, UK

Acicular and elongated tabular crystals to about 3 mm. Collected by myself in April 2003 from a small dump near Wheal Unity Gate. P Haas photograph and collection (no. 72-045).

© Peter Haas

Olivenite Photographed by and in the collection of Douglas Merson.

© 7/2022 Douglas Merson

Very fine blue clinoclase crystal cluster with dark green olivenite crystals on matrix. My favourite specimens from my Cornwall suite. This specimen was surely collected when the mine was still in production or shortly after. Ex Eric Asselborn collection, obtained from Gilbert Gauthier at the Sainte Marie-aux-Mines show in 1987. Quite an ...

© Collection and Copyright (c) 2008, Paul De Bondt

Olivenite (var. "wood copper") associated with trace Liroconite (XRD - blue material between quartz crystals, see child photo) and black,shiny cassitterite. The "wood copper" specimens are 8mm radially-fibrous "woody" half-spheres found on the front, reverse and side of the specimen. This specimen was in the personal collection of Richard ...

© JR Montgomery

Intergrown octahedral crystals of Cuprite with yellow Phillipsbornite on botryoidal white 'Gei'

© Steve Rust

Liroconite crystals to 2mm with clinoclase lining a cavity in massive chalcopyrite. Collection and photo - Colin Fearon

Tapered xtls to 12 mm. Ex Mineral Dept, Natural History, London; ex Prof N. Story-Maskelyne colln; ex Eugene Sensel colln. Ian Acworth specimen and photo.

© Ian Acworth 2004

Specimen in collection of Royal Cornwall Museum. Approx 8cm across.

© J.Ralph 2009

1.5mm radial crystal group.

© Steve Rust

Dark blue crystals with small spray of olivenite crystals - Photo and collection François Périnet.

© François Périnet

Radiating acicular malachite crystals, 20mm across, on cuprite. Ex Arthur Scoble collection.

© Ian Jones

Wheal Unity mimetites are a Cornwall classic. A 1.0 cm, upright, hexagonal crystal dominates the rich field on this old-time miniature. The lustrous, translucent prisms are a nifty bi-colored brown. The thin matrix plate appears to be covered with a crust of mimetite and micro mimetite crystals. This fine old-time piece most likely dates to the ...

© Rob Lavinsky & irocks.com

A piece of massive crystalline quartz has some internal pockets which are line with a number of transparent green olivenite crystals to 2.5mm length. Small but nice!Copper Arsenate Hydroxide

© 2002 Thames Valley Minerals

© De Nul, Richard

Brownish white crystals to 7 mm. P Haas photograph and collection (no. 72-096), ex M & M collection.

© Peter Haas

Matrix-free olivenite (var "wood olivenite") with a typical slightly curved, dark green surface, with minor crystal faces in it's centre, and with a lime green underside.

© Ian Jones

Libethenite with Cornwallite on Quartz. Photo and collection; Jorge M. Alves

© Jorge Moreira Alves

A matrix made up of a grey rock layer with a green a quartzite top has many small long thin lustrous beige mimetite xtls.

© Crystal Vine

Dark maroon cuprite crystals on limonite matrix. Detail view provided. Collected ca. 1880. RFC M1465.

© 2006 Michael C. Roarke

© De Nul, Richard

A classic Mimetite specimen from Wheal Unity with elongate hexagonal crystals of Mimetite scattered over the matrix. The Mimetite crystals are very lustrous and translucent pale brown, measuring to 10mm length and 2mm width. The matrix consists of milky Quartz with light blue-green and dark brown Oxide coatings. Collection: ex. John Marshall ...

© Kristalle and Crys

© De Nul, Richard

Combined image.

© De Nul, Richard

Small glossy (hard to get a photo from this) green Parnauite crystals. Self collected in 2005. Depth of field is achieved with CombineZM.

© Elmar Lackner 2007

A classic old time specimen of quartz-rich matrix richly covered with multi-hued green, radial clusters of olivenite variety "wood copper" from the famous Wheal Unity, Cornwall, England. The scattered bruising is barely noticeable on this fine old-timer. Ex Richard Barstow Collection.

© Rob Lavinsky & irocks.com

© De Nul, Richard

© De Nul, Richard

Olivenite in dark green, shiny crystals from Wheal Unity. Old time specimen. Obtained from Gilbert Gauthier at the 1988 Tucson show. Collection and photo, Paul De Bondt.

© Collection and photo, Paul De Bondt

© De Nul, Richard

Combine image.

© De Nul, Richard

Combined image.

© De Nul, Richard

Combined image.

© De Nul, Richard

Pale blue Ceruléite lining a vug. Specimen self collected in 2005. Depth of field is achieved with CombineZM.

© Elmar Lackner 2007

A matrix made up of a grey rock layer with a green a quartzite top has many small long thin lustrous beige mimetite xtls.

© Crystal Vine

© De Nul, Richard

© De Nul, Richard

Combine image.

© De Nul, Richard

Combined image.

© De Nul, Richard

Chalcanthite can be a very attractive mineral, though being soluble in water it has a very short life span on a Cornish dump exposed to the rain. Collected August 2010 G.Curtis

© G.Curtis

© De Nul, Richard

© De Nul, Richard

All FoV 3mm. Arsenogorceixite (visual identification). Found in a hole dug by someone else in the floor area of Wheal Unity, Poldice, Cornwall, UK. The sample consists of a 7cm X 8cm x 4cm lump of Arsenopyrite riddled with this material. Curtis & Chapman collections, Sept 2010.

© G.Curtis

© De Nul, Richard

Combined image.

© De Nul, Richard

Olivenite with Cornwallite on Quartz matrix. Photo and collection Jorge M. Alves

© Jorge Moreira Alves

Combined image.

© De Nul, Richard

Combined image.

© De Nul, Richard

From a large boulder found in 2004, dug from the 'floor' area of Unity. Main picture is 1.5 centimetres, not 1.5 mm as previously labelled. The rock was loaded with thousands of large brown/green crystals of Pharmacosiderite, some up to 2mm... G.Curtis and R.Chapman.

© G. Curtis

Straw-coloured crystals to 8mm lining cavities in a massive arsenopyrite/quartz matrix. Collection and photo - Colin Fearon

Combined image.

© De Nul, Richard

A strange-looking and rare old-time specimen from the famous Wheal Unity of Cornwall. Called "wood copper", this strange olivenite varietal shows massive, banded, fibrous structure, resembling wood. The nubby, undulating carpet-like surface of acicular crystals is underlain by banded, multi-hued green, olivenite with fine chatoyancy. Strikingly, ...

© Rob Lavinsky & irocks.com

© De Nul, Richard

Gemmy and lustrous, brown prisms of mimetite are RICHLY and attractively scattered on CABINET matrix on this CLASSIC, OLD-TIME specimen from the famous Wheal Unity of Cornwall. The 1.2 cm, isolated, skyscraper-like crystal looks like the Empire State Building! A very fine and historic specimen with minimal bruising. Easily over 100 years old.

© Rob Lavinsky & irocks.com

An unusual association of wolframite mixed with galena (pale grey due to weathering crust), chalcopyrite and sphalerite with chlorite group. Self collected from dumps lying to the south of James's Shaft on 4th September 2016.

© Dale Foster Collection

Small but reasonably well formed crystals of cassiterite in a quartz matrix. Some wolframite is also present on the specimen although it is not visible in this view. Self collected from dumps at the southern edge of the Wheal Unity Mine sett on Saturday the 17th September.

© Dale Foster Collection

Mimetite crystals to 8mm in a quartz matrix.

A very nice locality specimen of brecciated quartz with numerous little cavities covered with yellow green chenevixite and more sparse groups of brown to yellow brown mimetite. Other minerals can be seen are cuprite, possibly sphalerite or wurtzite and some little sulphide crystals, maybe tennantite.

© Thames Valley Minerals/e-Rocks

Olivenite. Further labeled Wheal Unity, Gwennap, Cornwall. Specimen is from the collection of the British Museum of Natural History #55860 (1975). Scale at bottom of image is an inch with a rule at one cm.

© Rock Currier

Rich aggregate of clinoclase crystals, typically 1mm, forming an area 40mm across. ian jones collection, ex Barstow collection.

© Ian Jones

Reddish brown crystals on matrix.

© Carles Curto Milà, 2008

A small but pleasing specimen of siderite comprising aggregates of lenticular crystals with quartz. Self collected from the southernmost dumps of Wheal Unity Mine on 17/9/2016.

© Dale Foster Collection

A large and fine specimen of acicular, dark green, needle-like olivenite crystals on matrix from this old locality. It has passed through several prominent collections over the last 50 years. Large, rich specimens of this more rare style of olivenite from the old Cornish district, are hard to come by. The specimen carries collection labels from ...

© Rob Lavinsky & irocks.com

Crystal about 3mm, from hand sample with many such crystals, up to 6mm. Sample from a larger rock dug from the 'floor' area of Unity. Yellow under UV(SW). G.Curtis, May 2009.

© G.Curtis

Cassiterite embedded in fluorite on a hard killas matrix. Some chalcopyrite is present in the matrix although not visible in this view. Specimen recently self collected from the remaining dumps of James Shaft that lie to the rear of the former Triplets scrapyard site.

© Dale Foster Collection

A specimen of crystallised sphalerite that has rather miraculously been protected from the worst of the ravages of weathering. Self collected 17/9/2016 from the southernmost dumps of Wheal Unity Mine.

© Dale Foster Collection

A specimen of Clinoclase collected 15th July 2017 by Owen Baker during the Russell Society dig on the dumps next to Lemon's West Shaft of Wheal Unity. Very minor green Liroconite and black Cassiterite can be seen when viewing the specimen with a microscope. See also image of the reverse.

Cavity in quartz lined with terminated crystals, the periphery of banded olivenite offen called wood-olivenite. Paul Oldfield collection. Although this specimen was labelled Wheal Unity, an identical specimen in the Royal Institution of Cornwall Mueum from the P. Rashleigh collection, has been labelled Wood-copper from Wheal Fortune, Great ...

Mimetite crystals, largest 20mm, on quartz. ian jones collection

© Ian Jones

A specimen of crystallised sphalerite that has rather miraculously been protected from the worst of the ravages of weathering. Self collected 17/9/2016 from the southernmost dumps of Wheal Unity Mine.

© Dale Foster Collection

Olivenite. Further labeled Wheal Unity, Gwennap, Cornwall. Specimen is from the collection of the British Museum of Natural History #27078 (1975). Scale at bottom of image is an inch with a rule at one cm.

© Rock Currier

FoV 1.5 cm, From a large boulder found in 2004, dug from the 'floor' area of Unity. Also available in green, another 2mm crystal ...G.Curtis and R.Chapman.

© G. Curtis

Radiating broken hemispheres to 6mm. diameter with dark green cornwallite-pseudomalachite on decomposing killas. From the dump's of Lemon's West Shaft, in March 1976. Paul G. Oldfield collection.

Cassiterite in quartz/chlorite/killas veinstone. Self collected from the dumps of an unnamed shaft on the extreme southern boundary of the Wheal Unity Mine sett on 17/9/2016.

© Dale Foster Collection

10.3 x 7.0 x 4.3 cm. Gemmy and lustrous, brown prisms of mimetite are RICHLY and attractively scattered on CABINET matrix on this CLASSIC, OLD-TIME specimen from the famous Wheal Unity of Cornwall. The striking, 1.2 cm, isolated, skyscraper-like crystal looks like the Empire State Building! A very fine and historic specimen with minimal bruising. ...

© Rob Lavinsky & irocks.com

Crystal about 3mm, from hand sample (other pic) with many such crystals, up to 6mm. Sample size 10cm x 5cm, from a larger rock dug from the 'floor' area of Unity (Poldice). Yellow under UV(SW). May 2009. G.Curtis.

© G.Curtis