Photos from Harstigen
In spite of its incredibly rich mineralisation, Harstigen is virtually unknown - or even
worse, deliberately ignored! - outside Sweden. It has similar mineralogy to
Långban (iron-manganese skarn, native Lead, weird arsenates and lead silicates)
and is situated ot far from Låban, but it is not the same thing! It suffers the
disgrace of many excellent Harstigen specimens with impunity are relabeled
'Långban' by collectors and dealers, even if the parageneses differ as do the
habits. Harstigen is source of fantastic Brandtite xx, very appealing Rhodonite xx,
Pyroxene xx, and obviously native Lead, Harstigite, Sarkinite, etc.
Harstigen is part of the Pajsberg Field, by far the most important mine of that field, and
many Harstigen specimens are merely labeled 'Pajsberg', but note there are other
quarries (albeit with far less spectacular minerals) and the terms are not synonymous.
The Harstigen dump is situated in the forest (we are talking mosquito galore!), partly
overgrown by old trees.
This fence surrounds the partly backfilled pit. It was a very small mine; the total amount
of ore equaled a few truck loads.
Genuine Harstigen, antique dump of skarn rocks under old trees.
Quick and dirty list of species in Claus Hedegaard's collection:
Ägirine var. Ferro-schefferite (sharp black crystals in skarn, overgrown by Calcite)
Ägirine var. Schefferite (granula cinnamon in skarn)
Andradite (massive brown in skarn)
Anthophyllite (fibrous in skarn)
Aragonite (I really don't believe that - need to check)
Barysilite (pearly colourless flakes in skarn)
Berzeliite (massive yellowish brown)
Biotite (abundant brown mica, manganfiferous variety 'Manganganophyllite')
Brandtite (white to greysih frosted crystals and aggregates; very varied habits, some sheaf-like)
Calcite (usually massive, filling voids in skarn)
Caryopilite (dull black, bubbly crusts)
Cymrite (metallic or submetallic dark grey - green fluorescene under SW UV)
Flinkite (dark platelets in vugs)
Galena (silvery metallic, distinct cleavages)
Ganophyllite (dark wine-red blades)
Harstigite (minute crystals in cavities in skarn)
Hedyphane (massive, dull)
Hematite (shiny black blades)
Inesite (fibrous - probably not correctly identified)
Julgoldite
Kutnahorite (sparse yellow spherules in cavities in skarn)
Lead (usually massive platy in skarn - contrary to Långban, where matrix is mostly Dolomite; Harstigen produced a few pieces of spectacular Lead xx in late 19th Century)
Magnetite (submetallic black massive or granular)
Monimolite (sparse brown grains)
Neotocite (greasy black, massive in skarn with Rhodonite & Calcite)
Otavite (sparse micro-crystals in cavities in skarn)
Pennantite (coarse, greenish blades)
Pyrite (brassive massive or granular)
Pyrophanite (dark red, translucent blades)
Quartz (massive, grey)
Rhodonite (massive in skarn, occassionally sharp attractive crystals in Calcite filled druses)
Richterite (cinnamon to golden amphibole, intergrown in skarn)
Sarkinite (sparse brown spherules in cavities in skarn)
Svabite (massive, orange fluorescence under SW UV)
Tremolite (fibrous in skarn)
Vesuvianite var. Mn-Vesuvianite (minute brownish red grains intergrown in skarn)
This page is written and maintaned by Claus
Hedegaard
