Mineral Evolution Database
Created and maintained by the Mineral Evolution Project in partnership with RRUFF and mindat.
Mineral locality data provided by mindat.org



The Mineral Evolution database is currently under development.

The goal of this page is to present localities at which the mineral is found, and estimates of the oldest possible geologic age of the minerals at these localities.


Locality Name:
St Austell, Cornwall, England, UK

Oldest recorded age at locality: 313
Youngest recorded age at locality: 273

mindat Locality ID: 222082
mindat URL: http://www.mindat.org/loc-222082.html

Tectonic Settings:

Total number of sublocalities beneath "St Austell, Cornwall, England, UK": 11
Total number of bottom-level sublocalities: 7

Number of Child Localities: 4
Child Localities:
Charlestown United And Cuddra Consolidated Mines
Par Valley Mine
St Dennis
West Polmear Mine (Carvath United Mine; Carvath Mine; Wheal Change)

Latitude: 50°18'19"N
Longitude: 4°48'35"W
Decimal Degree (lat, lon): 50.305277777778,-4.8097222222222

AThis mineral is Anthropogenic.
GThis mineral is directly dated.
BThis mineral is reported as having this age.
YThis mineral is using an age reported as an element mineralization period.
OThis mineral is using an age calculated from all data at the locality.
RThe age displayed for this mineral originates from a different, non-child locality.
PThe age displayed for this mineral is the range of ages for this mineral at all of this locality's children.
This mineral's age has not yet been recorded.

This Mineral list contains entries from this locality, including sub-localities. Minerals in bold are reported by mindat.org as occurring directly at this locality, and do not occur at any children (sublocalities) of this locality.

Elements at this locality, including sub-localities: C Ca Cu Fe H Mg O Pb S Si Sn 

Elements from minerals reported directly at this locality: 

Structural Groups for minerals in this locality: 
AmphiboleCalciteChalcopyriteCopperDiasporeNoneNot in a structural groupQuartzRocksaltRutile

10 IMA Minerals at location:
Actinolite  (*)Cassiterite  (*)Chalcocite  (*)Chalcopyrite  (*)Copper  (*)
Cuprite  (*)Galena  (*)Goethite  (*)Quartz  (*)Siderite  (*)
Mineral nameStructural GroupsIMA FormulaMax Age (Ma)Min Age (Ma)# of Sublocalities containing mineralLOCALITY IDs, not mindat ids# of localities containing mineral
Actinolite  (*)Amphibole   Ca2(Mg4.5-2.5Fe2+0.5-2.5)Si8O22(OH)231127311184683419
Cassiterite  (*)RutileSnO23112735118468,118470,118473,118476,1184775171
Chalcocite  (*)NoneCu2S31127311184775707
Chalcopyrite  (*)ChalcopyriteCuFeS23112732118475,11847727198
Copper  (*)CopperCu31127311184703846
Cuprite  (*)Not in a structural groupCu2O3112732118470,1184772970
Galena  (*)RocksaltPbS311273111847524243
Goethite  (*)DiasporeFeO(OH)31127311184707437
Quartz  (*)QuartzSiO23112733118467,118468,11847561156
Siderite  (*)CalciteFe(CO3)3112732118468,1184706417



10 Ages assigned to this locality:

Excel IDMax Age (Ma)Min Age (Ma)Age as listed in referenceDating MethodAge InterpretPrioritized?Sample SourceSample NumRun NumAge from other LocalityDated MineralMinerals explicitely stated as having this ageAge applies to these ElementsMinDat Locality IDDated Locality (Max Age)Location as listed in referenceReferenceReference DOIReference IDAge Notes
Lucy_027a311285298 ± 13Rb-SrAge granite intruded MR 29628, E 35053, E 35051, E 35052, MR 30149, MR     222082St Austell, Cornwall, England, UKSt Austell graniteDarbyshire et al. (1985)10.1144/gsjgs.142.6.1159JGSL142_1159Age stated from earlier paper
Lucy_027b289281285 ± 4Rb-SrPreferred Age determined in studyhigh MR 29628, E 35053, E 35051, E 35052, MR 30149, MR     222082St Austell, Cornwall, England, UKSt Austell graniteDarbyshire et al. (1985)10.1144/gsjgs.142.6.1159JGSL142_11598 samples have been reanalysed. Regression of all the data gives an age of 285 ± 4
Lucy_027c294282288 ± 6Rb-SrAge granite intruded MR 29628, E 35053, E 35051, MR 30149, MR 30150, MR    222082St Austell, Cornwall, England, UKSt Austell graniteDarbyshire et al. (1985)10.1144/gsjgs.142.6.1159JGSL142_1159Omitting the lithium mica granite sample from the regression makes little difference to the value of the age and intercept but beecause of the reduced spread in Rb/Sr ratiosn the errors are slightly increased.
Lucy_027d296284290Rb-SrPreliminary examindation yields age of St Austells granite as the first episode of Hercynian Magmatism.      222082St Austell, Cornwall, England, UKSt Austell graniteDarbyshire et al. (1985)10.1144/gsjgs.142.6.1159JGSL142_1159Statistically acceptable whole rock and/or mineral isochrons were obtained for each of the granites studies and a preliminary inspection of the tata may suggst several episodes of of Hercynian magmatism in SW England. The first, c.. 290 generated the Carnmenellis, Bodmin and St Austell granites and was succeeded some 10 Ma by the Dartmoor grantie, and finally the intrusion of the Land's End granite at 270 Ma. The emplacement of the porphyry dyke and the main phase of mineralization, would then be closely associated with the second and third magmatic episodes. However more detailed examintation of the data and comparison with other work reveals certain major discrepencies in the hypothesis.
Lucy_028301275288 ± 13Rb/SrAge for granitewhole rock     222082St Austell, Cornwall, England, UKSt Austell graniteHawkes et al. (1978 US4_52 
Lucy_029297273285 ± 1287Sr/86SrAge for granite      222082St Austell, Cornwall, England, UKSt Austell graniteHawkes et al. (1978) US4_52 
Lucy_116313289301 ± 12Rb/SrPrevious Rb/Sr determinationwhole rock     222082St Austell, Cornwall, England, UKSt Austells GraniteBray and Spooner (1983)10.1144/GSL.SP.1964.001.01.15EG78_1064 
Lucy_117289277283 ± 6K/ArPrevious K/Ar determinationbiotite2    222082St Austell, Cornwall, England, UKSt Austells GraniteBray and Spooner (1983)10.1144/GSL.SP.1964.001.01.15EG78_1064Arithmetic mean of 2 biotite samples from St Austells Granite
Lucy_150301275288 ± 13Rb/SrDate of granite emplacement.whole rock     222082St Austell, Cornwall, England, UKSt Austells GraniteHawkes (1974)10.1007/BF02597110JGS64_384St Austell Granite Rb/Sr age of 288m.y. is not in conflict with other isotopic data relating to the time of granite emplacement.
Lucy_174281.4278.3281.4 - 278.3Pb-U/Pb-PbRange of ages given with 206Pb/238U, 207Pb/235U and 207Pb/206Pb.whole rockCORN-237A (11,12)    222082St Austell, Cornwall, England, UKDe Lank QuarryChen et al (1993)10.1144/gsjgs.150.6.1183JGSL150_1183Analytical data for igneous monazites with sample and (analysis) numbers


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