[Rockhounds] Kernowite: New mineral found on rock mined in Cornwall

[Kreigh Tomaszewski]

*An "amazing" new type of mineral has been discovered by scientists
analysing a rock mined in Cornwall about 220 years ago.*

The dark green mineral has been named kernowite after Kernow, the Cornish
language word for Cornwall.

A group led by Natural History Museum (NHM) mineralogist Mike Rumsey made
the discovery while studying a rock taken from Wheal Gorland mine in St Day.

Mr Rumsey said: "It's amazing that in 2020 we are adding a new mineral."

For centuries, mineralogists believed the green crystals to be a variation
of another mineral, liroconite, but Mr Rumsey and his team found it has a
different chemical composition.

Blue liroconite is highly prized by collectors around the world, and the
majority of it comes from the Wheal Gorland site.
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-cornwall-55396421