Vote for your favorite mineral in #MinCup26! - Sphalerite vs. Anorthite
Both zinc ore Sphalerite and calcium plagioclase feldspar Anorthite have perfect cleavage that will split cleanly if you hit them with a hammer, but only one can claim a larger split of your votes!
Log InRegister
Quick Links : The Mindat ManualThe Rock H. Currier Digital LibraryMindat Newsletter [Free Download]
Home PageAbout MindatThe Mindat ManualHistory of MindatCopyright StatusWho We AreContact UsAdvertise on Mindat
Donate to MindatCorporate SponsorshipSponsor a PageSponsored PagesMindat AdvertisersAdvertise on Mindat
Learning CenterWhat is a mineral?The most common minerals on earthInformation for EducatorsMindat ArticlesThe ElementsThe Rock H. Currier Digital LibraryGeologic TimeExplore Fossils
Minerals by PropertiesMinerals by ChemistryMineral Visual ExplorerAdvanced Locality SearchRandom MineralRandom LocalitySearch by minIDLocalities Near MeSearch ArticlesSearch GlossaryMore Search Options
Search For:
Mineral Name:
Locality Name:
Keyword(s):
 
The Mindat ManualAdd a New PhotoRate PhotosLocality Edit ReportCoordinate Completion ReportAdd Glossary Item
Mining CompaniesStatisticsUsersMineral MuseumsClubs & OrganizationsMineral Shows & EventsThe Mindat DirectoryDevice SettingsThe Mineral QuizTime Machine
Photo SearchPhoto GalleriesSearch by ColorPhoto Colour ExplorerNew Photos TodayNew Photos YesterdayMembers' Photo GalleriesPast Photo of the Day GalleryPhotography
This page is currently not sponsored. Click here to sponsor this page.
PhotosMapsSearch
Latitude & Longitude (WGS84):
50° 16' 49'' North , 5° 15' 14'' West
Latitude & Longitude (decimal):
UK National Grid Reference:
SW682474
Type:
Köppen climate type:
Nearest Settlements:
PlacePopulationDistance
Mount Hawke1,511 (2017)3.2km
Portreath963 (2017)3.3km
North Country773 (2017)3.6km
Saint Agnes2,820 (2014)5.0km
Redruth42,690 (2017)5.6km
Mindat Locality ID:
216232
Long-form identifier:
mindat:1:2:216232:7
GUID (UUID V4):
0


Wheal Lushington Mine, also known as West Wheal Towan Mine comprises and amalgamation of a number of small and ancient mining setts that occupy a strip of coastline extending over a distance of around 1500 metres from the western side of Porthtowan Beach to the eastern side of Keriack Cove. Whilst the western section of the sett lies within the parish of Portreath, the mine is included within the Porthtowan mining district. Portreath village itself lies over 2.5 km to the south-west of the western boundary of the sett and if used, gives a misleading geographic location for the site.

The small mines that comprise the sett are as follows:

Wheal Sterran & Wheal Tye lie on the cliff to the west of Tobban Horse. In 1927, Vivians Shaft was re-opened, although some fine grained tin ore was encountered no development ensued. The large cliffside waste dump and remains of old mine buildings including a square section stack date from this period of operation.

Select Mineral List Type

Standard Detailed Gallery Strunz Chemical Elements

Mineral List


6 valid minerals.

Detailed Mineral List:

Anglesite
Formula: PbSO4
Colour: grey
Description: On November 7, 2013, the local collector Michaël Merry, collected the mineral from the lode outcrop. Only small specimens where recovered as the lode was narrow and standing vertical on the fragile killas matrix.
Cassiterite
Formula: SnO2
Chalcopyrite
Formula: CuFeS2
'Chlorite Group'
Galena
Formula: PbS
Quartz
Formula: SiO2
References:
Paul De Bondt collection.Identified by Paul De Bondt: Visual Identification
Quartz var. Rock Crystal
Formula: SiO2
References:
Paul De Bondt collection.Identified by Paul De Bondt: Visual Identification
Sphalerite
Formula: ZnS

Gallery:

List of minerals arranged by Strunz 10th Edition classification

Group 2 - Sulphides and Sulfosalts
Sphalerite2.CB.05aZnS
Chalcopyrite2.CB.10aCuFeS2
Galena2.CD.10PbS
Group 4 - Oxides and Hydroxides
Quartz4.DA.05SiO2
var. Rock Crystal4.DA.05SiO2
Cassiterite4.DB.05SnO2
Group 7 - Sulphates, Chromates, Molybdates and Tungstates
Anglesite7.AD.35PbSO4
Unclassified
'Chlorite Group'-

List of minerals for each chemical element

OOxygen
O AnglesitePbSO4
O CassiteriteSnO2
O QuartzSiO2
O Quartz var. Rock CrystalSiO2
SiSilicon
Si QuartzSiO2
Si Quartz var. Rock CrystalSiO2
SSulfur
S AnglesitePbSO4
S ChalcopyriteCuFeS2
S GalenaPbS
S SphaleriteZnS
FeIron
Fe ChalcopyriteCuFeS2
CuCopper
Cu ChalcopyriteCuFeS2
ZnZinc
Zn SphaleriteZnS
SnTin
Sn CassiteriteSnO2
PbLead
Pb AnglesitePbSO4
Pb GalenaPbS

Geochronology

Geologic TimeRocks, Minerals and Events
Phanerozoic
 Paleozoic
  Permian
   Guadalupian
ⓘ Major polymetallic mineralization~270 MaCornwall, England, UK
   Cisuralian
ⓘ Porphyry dikes intruded (latest age)~275 MaCornwall, England, UK
ⓘ Greisenization (latest age)~280 MaCornwall, England, UK
ⓘ Porphyry dikes intruded (earliest age)~280 MaCornwall, England, UK
ⓘ Formation of metallized pegmatites~285 MaCornwall, England, UK
ⓘ Greisenization (earliest age)~285 MaCornwall, England, UK
ⓘ Emplacement of major plutons~295 MaCornwall, England, UK

Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality

British and Irish IslesGroup of Islands
Eurasian PlateTectonic Plate
EuropeContinent
UK

This page contains all mineral locality references listed on mindat.org. This does not claim to be a complete list. If you know of more minerals from this site, please register so you can add to our database. This locality information is for reference purposes only. You should never attempt to visit any sites listed in mindat.org without first ensuring that you have the permission of the land and/or mineral rights holders for access and that you are aware of all safety precautions necessary.
 
and/or  
Mindat.org® is an outreach project of the Hudson Institute of Mineralogy, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. Mindat® and mindat.org® are registered trademarks of the Hudson Institute of Mineralogy.
Copyright © mindat.org and the Hudson Institute of Mineralogy 1993-2026, except where stated. Most political location boundaries are © OpenStreetMap contributors. Mindat.org relies on the contributions of thousands of members and supporters. Founded in 2000 by Jolyon Ralph and Ida Chau.
Content on this site may not be used to train, fine-tune, or otherwise develop artificial intelligence or machine learning models without prior written permission - see our Terms & Conditions.
To cite: Ralph, J., Von Bargen, D., Martynov, P., Zhang, J., Que, X., Prabhu, A., Morrison, S. M., Li, W., Chen, W., & Ma, X. (2025). Mindat.org: The open access mineralogy database to accelerate data-intensive geoscience research. American Mineralogist, 110(6), 833–844. doi:10.2138/am-2024-9486.
Privacy Policy - Terms & Conditions - Contact Us / DMCA issues - Report a bug/vulnerability Current server date and time: September 3, 2026 13:43:33 Page updated: March 26, 2026 19:55:20
Go to top of page