BANNISTERITE

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Bannisterite is a black mica-like mineral and a rare phyllosilicate named in honour of Frederick Allen Bannister, former Keeper of Mineralogy at the Natural History Museum, London, and who studied the original material from Benallt manganese mine in Wales. A 5.0 x 3.0+ cm area of platy Bannisterite, tapering from nothing to 1.3 cm thick at one end, is embedded in a tan carbonate-type matrix. The Bannisterite is deep bronze brown in areas where translucent thin layers allow the passage of incident light; otherwise it is jet-black with a bright lustre. From the Zinc Corporation mine at Broken Hill, New South Wales, Australia, which has produced the world's best examples of this rare species. This is a very fine example of the rare mineral Bannisterite from the famous Milton Lavers Broken Hill collection. Show more