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45-569: Galena is one of the most abundant and widely distributed sulfide minerals . It crystallizes in the cubic crystal system often showing octahedral forms. It is often associated with the minerals sphalerite , calcite and fluorite . Galena is the main ore of lead , used since ancient times, since lead can be smelted from galena in an ordinary wood fire. Galena typically is found in hydrothermal veins in association with sphalerite , marcasite , chalcopyrite , cerussite , anglesite , dolomite , calcite , quartz , barite , and fluorite . It

90-626: A close-packed cubic unit cell much like the mineral halite of the halide mineral group. Zinc, cadmium , iron , copper , antimony , arsenic , bismuth and selenium also occur in variable amounts in galena. Selenium substitutes for sulfur in the structure constituting a solid solution series. The lead telluride mineral altaite has the same crystal structure as galena. Within the weathering or oxidation zone galena alters to anglesite (lead sulfate) or cerussite (lead carbonate). Galena exposed to acid mine drainage can be oxidized to anglesite by naturally occurring bacteria and archaea , in

135-416: A covered sump (a hole made in the floor of a level in the direction of a lower level, being used for ventilation) the depth of which was approximately 27 ft (8.2 m). In this case however, the sump did not go through to the lower level, but was filled with water to approximately 10 ft (3.0 m) of the covering. To the search party it was obvious that the scaffold had collapsed resulting in

180-410: A dramatic increase in the price of the mine company shares: shares trading for £34 in the late 1820s were trading for between £1,500 and £2,000 by 1833. In late 1833 the mine sustained significant damage when the river overflowed its banks and flooded the shaft, and the mine was not operational again until the end of February 1834. In part payment for their labour, the owners allowed the miners to keep

225-408: A possible heavy rock fall from the vicinity of the shaft choking up the shaft below the adit , heavy timber was placed across the pit, and deflected a further fall as a result of the fire. Water continued to be poured down the mouth of the shaft, being effective in putting out the fire, enabling men to directly extinguish the smoldering timbers and make secure the sides of the shaft. As opposed to

270-479: A process similar to bioleaching . One of the oldest uses of galena was to produce kohl , an eye cosmetic now regarded as toxic due to the risk of lead poisoning . In Ancient Egypt , this was applied around the eyes to reduce the glare of the desert sun and to repel flies, which were a potential source of disease. In pre-Columbian North America, galena was used by indigenous peoples as an ingredient in decorative paints and cosmetics, and widely traded throughout

315-406: A result of the flooding, and the men had been detailed to clear away debris, examine the level and prepare it for carrying out further repairs. There was speculation that the men had been testing the covering of the sump when it collapsed. It was determined that the accident occurred shortly after 11:30hrs, this been ascertained by the fact that a watch on one of the miners had stopped at that time and

360-473: A watch on another miner a few minutes later. There was no evidence of a rock fall in the vicinity ruling out that as a contributory factor. An Inquest into the deaths of the miners opened on Tuesday 13 December, presided over by the High Bailiff of Castletown , James Gell , who was deputising for Samuel Harris . The funerals of the victims also took place on Tuesday 13 December, at Lonan Churchyard, with

405-428: Is a semiconductor with a small band gap of about 0.4  eV , which found use in early wireless communication systems. It was used as the crystal in crystal radio receivers, in which it was used as a point-contact diode capable of rectifying alternating current to detect the radio signals. The galena crystal was used with a sharp wire, known as a " cat's whisker ", in contact with it. In modern times, galena

450-489: Is also found in association with sphalerite in low-temperature lead- zinc deposits within limestone beds. Minor amounts are found in contact metamorphic zones, in pegmatites , and disseminated in sedimentary rock. In some deposits, the galena contains up to 0.5% silver , a byproduct that far surpasses the main lead ore in revenue. In these deposits significant amounts of silver occur as included silver sulfide mineral phases or as limited silver in solid solution within

495-494: Is found in hydrothermal deposits emplaced around 1680 million years ago, which have since been heavily metamorphosed. The largest documented crystal of galena is composite cubo-octahedra from the Great Laxey Mine , Isle of Man , measuring 25 cm × 25 cm × 25 cm (10 in × 10 in × 10 in). Galena is the official state mineral of the U.S. states of Kansas, Missouri, and Wisconsin;

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540-418: Is primarily used to extract its constituent minerals. In addition to silver, it is the most important source of lead, for uses such as in lead-acid batteries . Sulfide mineral The sulfide minerals are a class of minerals containing sulfide (S ) or disulfide ( S 2− 2 ) as the major anion . Some sulfide minerals are economically important as metal ores . The sulfide class also includes

585-477: Is the largest known deposit, and in the Driftless Area of Illinois , Iowa and Wisconsin , providing the origin of the name of Galena, Illinois , a historical settlement known for the material. Galena also was a major mineral of the zinc -lead mines of the tri-state district around Joplin in southwestern Missouri and the adjoining areas of Kansas and Oklahoma . Galena is also an important ore mineral in

630-459: Is thought that this continued until 1934, when all working finally ceased. During the late 1930s, spoil from the workings at the mines at both Foxdale and Laxey was transported to the north of the island, where it was used to level the land during the construction of RAF Jurby and RAF Andreas . Specimens of metals mined at Laxey and at Foxdale are on display in the Manx Museum . Laxey yielded

675-523: The Snaefell Mine , the three shafts of the Laxey Mine and the various connecting levels had excellent ventilation, and this would have aided in some way to the fire claiming no casualties. Another incident occurred on Saturday 10 December 1904, resulting in the deaths of 4 miners. The shift began work at 06:00hrs, with the shift due to end at 14:00hrs, the alarm being raised when 4 men failed to return to

720-550: The adit level. When the water was reduced below the 145 fathom level a further pump was installed which aided the operation and as the different levels were cleared, miners were able to work them. On Saturday 19 March 1904, a fire broke out in the Welsh Shaft at a position ten fathoms below the surface. The incident was of particular significance as a similar outbreak of fire in the Great Snaefell Mine in 1897 resulted in

765-567: The copper ore which had been extracted, and by the mid 19th century this was being sold for £23 14s 6d per ton. A mixture of copper and lead was sold for £7 per ton, and this would be used to glaze lower end earthenware . During the height of prosperity of the Great Laxey Mine, the Laxey Wheel was erected. The wheel was named the Lady Isabella, after the wife of Sir Charles Hope , who at

810-434: The deaths of 19 miners . Prior to the main shift commencing work, a party of men had descended the Welsh Shaft to inspect the joints of the steam pumps which had been put into the mine to assist in purging water, and which were found to be satisfactory. Following this over 100 men entered the mine to begin work. At approximately 07:00hrs the boiler man at the Welsh Shaft picked up the smell of burning wood and promptly raised

855-603: The selenides , the tellurides , the arsenides , the antimonides , the bismuthinides, the sulfarsenides and the sulfosalts . Sulfide minerals are inorganic compounds . Common or important examples include: Sulfarsenides: Sulfosalts: IMA -CNMNC proposes a new hierarchical scheme (Mills et al., 2009). This list uses the Classification of Nickel–Strunz ( mindat.org , 10 ed, pending publication). [REDACTED] Media related to Sulfide minerals at Wikimedia Commons Great Laxey Mine The Great Laxey Mine

900-594: The 13th century, Harald , King of Mann (1237–1248) having granted a charter under which the monks of Furness Abbey obtained working rights for this mine. Later in the same century the Earl of Buchan received a licence from King Edward I to dig for lead on the Calf of Man , and when the Isle of Man was granted to Sir John Stanley by King Henry IV in 1406, " mines of lead and iron" were included. In 1700 almost 230 tons of copper ore

945-587: The 85 fathom (155 metre) level. A Directors Report in 1902 stated that until then the company had spent £1.75 million in developing the mine, a total of £535,625 had been paid to shareholders in dividends and a further £138,064 had been paid in royalties to the Crown . The problems draining the mine continued into 1903. A major difficulty was how to position pumps in the correct areas. The shafts were only about 4 ft × 4 ft in places; they were also crooked, being generally at an angle of 15 degrees from

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990-465: The Government's Inspector on Mines, Foster Brown. Half the mine remained flooded, and it was that half which yielded the richer output. It was still uncertain whether the flooded part of the mine could be drained economically, and if it could, would it then be able to be worked without further encroachment. A report by the mining manager at the end of March stated that all workings by then were flooded to

1035-954: The Linares mines in Spain were worked from before the Roman times until the end of the 20th century; the Madan and Rhodope Mountains in Bulgaria ; the Sullivan Mine of British Columbia ; Broken Hill and Mount Isa in Australia ; and the ancient mines of Sardinia . In the United States , it occurs most notably as lead-zinc ore in the Mississippi Valley type deposits of the Lead Belt in southeastern Missouri , which

1080-406: The alarm. Arranged signals were then used to alert those in the mine to evacuate, and in less than 30 minutes all the men were accounted for. The position of the fire was traced to a point 33 fathoms down, a hose was brought and water pumped down to the level. Several men volunteered to descend to the level, where they found hot pieces of rock falling from the roof of the shaft. To avert the risk of

1125-417: The corresponding period of the previous year. The fall in price of lead from the previous year was £1 19s 6d per ton. In 1901 a rich vein of lead was discovered; however during the extraction the workings let loose a large body of water. Further, there was a shortage of the water needed to power the Laxey Wheel , so that it could not combat the flooding. Thus the water rose in the mine, gradually overwhelming

1170-523: The eastern United States. Traces of galena are frequently found at the Mississippian city at Kincaid Mounds in present-day Illinois. The galena used at the site originated from deposits in southeastern and central Missouri and the Upper Mississippi Valley. Galena is the primary ore of lead, and is often mined for its silver content. It is used as a source of lead in ceramic glaze . Galena

1215-411: The following morning the body had still to be located and this continued throughout Sunday 11 December, and it was not until 01:00hrs on the morning of Monday when the body was recovered. The 190 fathom level had been used as a footway up until the flooding of the mine in 1901, and the object of sending the men to repair it was to use it in the same way. The level had been underwater for several years as

1260-563: The former mining communities of Galena, Kansas , Galena, Illinois , Galena, South Dakota and Galena, Alaska , take their names from deposits of this mineral. Galena belongs to the octahedral sulfide group of minerals that have metal ions in octahedral positions, such as the iron sulfide pyrrhotite and the nickel arsenide niccolite . The galena group is named after its most common member, with other isometric members that include manganese bearing alabandite and niningerite . Divalent lead (Pb) cations and sulfur (S) anions form

1305-476: The future of the mine. By then, most of those who had worked the mine had left; many miners emigrated to South Africa, Australia or the USA. Continued flooding in the lower reaches of the mine combined with antiquated pumping machinery finally signified the end of mining operations at Laxey, and on the whole island. However some of the spoil residue was brought to the washing floors to extract any remaining worth from it. It

1350-613: The galena structure. These argentiferous galenas have long been an important ore of silver. Silver-bearing galena is almost entirely of hydrothermal origin; galena in lead-zinc deposits contains little silver. Galena deposits are found worldwide in various environments. Noted deposits include those at Freiberg in Saxony ; Cornwall , the Mendips in Somerset , Derbyshire , and Cumberland in England ;

1395-481: The island, but with almost no result. From 1823 the mine was served by the Great Laxey Mine Railway . By 1833 over 200 men were employed in the mine. Whilst various minerals were extracted from the mine, lead ore was the main component of the workings, and substances regarded as of lesser value were simply thrown away. The mine was rich in silver ore yielding 180 ounces (5.5 kg) to the ton. This saw

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1440-434: The level subsided. At intervals down the shaft there were fixed pumps placed at various levels so as to limit the suspended pump to a lift of no greater than 360 ft (110 m) at any given time. In addition a fixed electrically powered pump was installed at the 255 fathom level which was capable of forcing the water up to the adit in one lift. Joseph Evans & Sons provided all the appliances needed, including all

1485-408: The men falling into the sump which contained approximately 17 ft (5.2 m) of water. Grappling hooks together with blocks and tackle were requested and at 19:00hrs the first body of a miner was recovered. Two further bodies were recovered at 21:00hrs and at 23:00hrs leaving one miner unaccounted for. The efforts to locate the body of the missing miner continued through the night, but by 04:00hrs

1530-417: The mine yielded zinc , silver , copper pyrites and hematite iron in significant quantities. In 1819 both Laxey and Foxdale mines were closed, but within four years both reopened. Laxey owed its fresh start to a Westmorland man who was in turn licensed for the undertaking by George Murray, 6th Duke of Atholl . Both mines soon began to boom, with a result that a search for metals began in every part of

1575-428: The pumps, until the workings had filled to a depth of 1,000 ft (300 m). Electric pumps were proposed to remedy the situation, but it was found impracticable to get electrically operated pumps of the required capacity down the shafts. By January 1902, although the main ingress had ended, the water level in the mine was still rising by 6 inches (15 cm) daily. By March 1902 some workers were being paid off, although

1620-667: The service conducted by the Reverend John Quine, Vicar of Lonan . The Great Laxey Mining Company were represented by the chairman, the Mine Manager and the Mine Secretary. In addition children from Minorca Sunday School, of which John Gawne was a member and the Laxey Brass Band, of which John Quayle was a member, were also in attendance. Following various short-term closures, by May 1929 rumours had begun to circulate about

1665-550: The silver mining regions of Colorado , Idaho , Utah and Montana . Of the latter, the Coeur d'Alene district of northern Idaho was most prominent. Australia is the world's leading producer of lead as of 2021, most of which is extracted as galena. Argentiferous galena was accidentally discovered at Glen Osmond in 1841, and additional deposits were discovered near Broken Hill in 1876 and at Mount Isa in 1923. Most galena in Australia

1710-416: The steam pumping mains, chains, lifting apparatus, steam capstan engines and three Lancashire boilers accompanied by a 100 ft (30 m) stack. To accommodate the machinery new footings for the boilers (the largest on the Isle of Man) had to be constructed, with the machinery being hauled from Douglas to Laxey by a special traction engine which had been brought over for the purpose. The operation

1755-471: The surface. It was understood that the men in question had been working at the 190 fathom level and when it was certain they had failed to return a search party was organised with the search commencing at 15:00hrs. On reaching the 190 fathom level, approximately midway between the Engine Shaft and the Welsh Shaft, the search party saw collapsed timbers which had been used as a scaffold around what had been

1800-562: The time was the Lieutenant Governor of the Isle of Man . During its working life the wheel was capable of pumping 250 gallons (1100 litres) of water a minute from a depth of 200 fathoms (370 metres). By the beginning of the 20th century the yield from the mine had begun to decline dramatically. During the first six months of 1900 only 100 tons of lead was sold, fetching £1,500. The amount of blende stood at 650 tons, generating £4,150; however this compared to 857 tons generating £7,152 for

1845-405: The vertical, and at a total depth of approximately 1,000 ft (300 m) from the surface. Eventually it was decided to use steam pumps, and an order was placed with Joseph Evans & Sons of Wolverhampton . A large pump with a capacity of 400 gallons per minute was fixed on a sliding cradle and lowered, together with its steam and water mains, on link chains so as to follow the water down as

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1890-458: The washing floors kept working and some men were still employed underground. Due to the depressed market, combined with the cost of keeping the mine free of water, the mine was becoming uneconomic. A scheme which drew the attention of the company directors was to acquire the North Laxey & Glencherry mine, at that time also flooded, and work the two mines in unison. This idea had the approval of

1935-535: Was a silver, lead ore and zinc mine located in Laxey , in the parish of Lonan , Isle of Man . The mine reached a depth in excess of 2,200 ft (670 m) and consisted primarily of three shafts: the Welsh Shaft, the Dumbell's Shaft and the Engine Shaft; each of these shafts was connected by a series of levels. The Isle of Man contains a large variety of minerals. Copper ore was mined at Bradda Head as far back as

1980-538: Was shipped from the Dhyrnane Mine at Maughold whilst also at this time the Rushen and Kirk Arbory mines were producing significant quantities of copper ore. There is no exact date for the start of mining at Laxey . However, by 1782 workings were being opened, with the undertaking chiefly as an enterprise from Cumberland as opposed to the Isle of Man. Laxey was primarily mined for its lead ore . However, in addition

2025-420: Was slow, but by December 1903 the water level had gone down by about 100 ft (30 m) per month, resulting in the 120 fathom level being reached by 17 December. The main problem in purging the shaft was that the pumping machinery had to be specifically designed and constructed because of the mine shaft being so narrow and irregular. By February 1904 the mine had been cleared to 844 ft (257 m) below

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