VESZELYITE
Straitsteps Mine, Wanlockhead.
Intergrown, tabular, wedge-shaped crystals to 1mm.

VESZELYITE - Straitsteps Mine, Wanlockhead, Dumfries, Scotland.
Pyramidal crystals to over 6mms partially pseudomorphed to chrysocolla on botryoidal hemimorphite. A cleaved edge on one crystal reveals an unaltered, dark blue veszelyite core within the replacing, outer shell of chrysocolla.

Veszelyite

Around 1988, collectors found the rare, hydrous copper phosphate mineral, veszelyite, at Wanlockhead.

This rare species was previously unrecorded at Wanlockhead or Leadhills and it is also the first recorded occurence of the species in the United Kingdom. Crystals were generally small and found in two or three habits.

Some specimens encountered contained pseudomorphs of chrysocolla (hydrous copper silicate) after veszelyite, particularly with larger crystals. Both full and partial replacements were found. In the latter case, the outer area of veszelyite was replaced by chrysocolla and the core left unaltered.

VESZELYITE - Straitsteps Mine, Wanlockhead.
Twinned crystals with a pyramidal habit to c. 1mm with green globules of chrysocolla on hemimorphite.

Veszelyite has not been encountered since and the site of the find has now been grassed over.

Hemimorphite
(hydrous zinc silicate)

Secondary enrichment of the primary ores took place throughout the Leadhills & Wanlockhead deposit and secondary lead species are common to both sites.

Wanlockhead, richer in zinc ores, has a greater prevalence of secondary zinc species occuring, such as hemimorphite.

Hemimorphite generally occurs either as tiny crystals forming crusts or as botryoidal aggregates. It has a wide array of colours, with colourless, grey, white, sky blue, green, yellow to brown-hued specimens being encountered'

Greenockite
(Cadmium Sulphide)

Less common is yellow hemimorphite, coloured by inclusions of the rare species, greenockite.

Greenockite occurs at Wanlockhead as inclusions in hemimorphite or as powdery coatings. It colours hemimorphite a bright canary yellow or yellowish-green colour. (for information on Greenockite as crystals from its type locality in Scotland, see link)

HEMIMORPHITE - New Glencrieff Mine, Wanlockhead. Rich sky-blue botryoidal aggregates. (view.c 1cm).