Harstigen

The Harstigen mine, 5 km north of Persberg, is a famous mine. It were mined only during two years but managed to give birth of a number of new minerals. (It is the type locality of about 20 minerals ????). It is also one of the few places it is possible to find crystallised lead.

Record of visits.

I first visited this place during the 1997 Bergslagen tour. I came here in the evening of wednesday, so I only gor about two hours before it were too dark to continue. The fact that it was raining never got as far as to my brain, since it was totally absorbed by the rocks. I then picked up the bag with my stones.... well dragged it sort of, and went to the car. I then drove down to Filipstad (14 km SW of Harstigen) and bought some food at the bus station restaurant. I stayed there for the following two hours, looking over some of my findings from Harstigen, trying to identify it.
The next day started with a roundtrip of the Nordmark field and some mines south of Persberg, so when I got back to Harstigen it was in the afternoon. This meant that this day was also too short to do any systematic search of the dump piles. I just picked up everything that looked interesting to me. This time the bag wasn't as heavy as the previous day. I could even walk all the way to the car without any pauses (300m).
This is surely a place I will visit more times.

Mineral assemblage

Copper, Lead, Sphalerite, Chalkopyrite, Pyrite, Galenite, Domeykite, Ekdemite, Heliofyllite, Nadorite, Kuprite, Magnetite, Hausmannite, Hematite, Pyrofanite, Bindheimite (Monimolite), Quartz, Litargite, Pyrokroite, Limonite, Pyrolusite, Rhodokrosite, Calcite, Dolomite, Cerrusite, Azurite, Malakite, Baryte, Sarkinite, Hedyphan, Svabite, Mimetite, Brandtite, Flinkite, Trimerite, Tephroite, Spessartine, Andradite, Barysilite, Melanotekite (Kentrolite), Manganoan vesuvian, Harstigite, Diopside-Augite, Schefferite, Hedenbergite, Tremolite-Aktinolite, Richterite, Antofyllite, Rhodonite, Inesite, Neotokite, Apofyllite, Manganophyll, Pennin (Mn), Chlorite, Friedelite, Serpentinite (Krysotile), Serpentine (Mn), Gonyerite, Karyopilite, Ganofyllite, Hyalophan, Mikroklin.
Minerals missing in litterature or not verified with roentgen : Silver, Chalkosite, Bornite, Tennantite, Romeite, Brucite, Manganite, Aragonite, Siderite, Hydrocerussite, Gypsum, Mimetite, Alleghanyite, Olivine, Epidote, Braunite, Piemontite, Bustamite, Muskovite, Flogopite, Talc, Molybdofyllite, Mikrokline, Plagioklas, Yetmanite.

Pyrolusite
Pyrolusite in dendritic form in a crack in calcite.
(300 dpi, 800x600, 93k)

Rhodonite
Rhodonite in calcite filled cracks in richterite scarn.
Some crystals are present, the largest one about 3x1.5 mm.
(200 dpi, 800x600, 122k)

Manganophyllite
Manganophyllite as small crystals in a calcite filled crack.
(300 dpi, 800x600, k)

Tephroite
Grayish tephroite with pink rhodonite and yellow spessartine.
Collected in 1997.
( dpi, 800x600, k)

Manganoan vesuvian
Orange manganoan vesuvian in a calcite filled vug in grayish tephroite.
Some roughly squarish crystals about 2 mm size sits in the calcite or at the borderzone.
The pink parts is probably massive rhodonite.
Collected in 1997.
( dpi, 800x600, k)

If you have some questions, suggestions or comments you are welcome to write me a line or two.

Locality index. Main index.

axelsson@acc.umu.se

	Pyrolusite Pyrolusite in dendritic form in a crack in calcite. (300 dpi, 800x600, 93k)
	Rhodonite Rhodonite in calcite filled cracks in richterite scarn. Some crystals are present, the largest one about 3x1.5 mm. (200 dpi, 800x600, 122k)
	Manganophyllite Manganophyllite as small crystals in a calcite filled crack. (300 dpi, 800x600, k)
	Tephroite Grayish tephroite with pink rhodonite and yellow spessartine. Collected in 1997. ( dpi, 800x600, k)
	Manganoan vesuvian Orange manganoan vesuvian in a calcite filled vug in grayish tephroite. Some roughly squarish crystals about 2 mm size sits in the calcite or at the borderzone. The pink parts is probably massive rhodonite. Collected in 1997. ( dpi, 800x600, k)