Foster's Hush
Also within
Condition (Natural England)
| Unit | Feature | Condition | Area (ha) | Assessed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NY859204 | — | Favourable | 1.36 | 2024-02-22 |
Geology & landscape
Rock Type: Limestone, Sandstone
Description
Area,1,10 0001.3 hectares 3.2 ac Description At Foster’s Hush workings on Hunter’s Vein, trending north east–south west in the great Limestone and Tuft Sandstone, have a surface expression. The main ore mineral is witherite but locally barytocalcite is more abundant. In dumps adjacent to the main road, specimens of similar morphology to those at the world type locality Blagill Mine are abundant and the same paragenetic sequence can be established in relation to witherite. However, secondary baryte has developed from both witherite and barytocalcite and its association with aurichalcite and hemimorphite confirms that it probably formed in the oxidation zone, as a result of the action of sulphate rich water on carbonates. Foster’s Hush is not only important for providing excellent specimens of a rare mineral from dumps, but is probably the only locality in the North Pennine orefield where witherite mineralisation can be seen in situ at the surface.