Cuprite
Department of Earth Sciences’ Geology Museum
A naturally-occurring oxide of copper (Cu2O), this sample of cuprite comes from the Liskeard area of Cornwall, and was part of the collection of the 19th century mining engineer, John Taylor. In 1836, after a major copper lode was located by prospectors on Caradon Hill, many mines opened in the area over the following few years. Some 650,000 tons of copper ore were mined from the Caradon district over the next 30 years, until the disastrous crash in the market in 1866, when competition from foreign mines brought the Cornish copper mining boom to an end.
- Item reference: BRSUG B417
- Photographer: Simon Powell
- Copyright: Department of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol
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