The group of mines known as the Strontian mines have been worked from the beginning of the 18th century and would probably of lapsed into obscurity but for a major re-working in the 1980’s which besides supplying barite for the North Sea oil drilling industry, has provided a supply of specimens onto the market and ‘re-invented’ the location for mineralogists.

Originally the mineralised extent of the main Strontian vein was divided into 5 setts, Corrantee, Whitesmith, Middleshop, Bellsgrove and Fee Donald.
Strontian is the Type locality for Strontianite and Brewsterite. The strontianite occurs in sprays of white, green or brown crystals and was found mainly at Bellsgrove and Whitesmith mines. Brewsterite generally occurs in thin fissures often coating calcite and occasionally strontianite or harmotome with crystals generally to 4 to 5mm long up to a maximum of about 10mm.
<Bellsgrove opencut looking west
Some of the world's best harmotome specimens have been found at Strontian: old specimens with lustrous crystals up to 25-30mm can be seen in the museum collections, although in recent times, 5-10mm sizes are more typical.
Other minerals found are sphalerite, galena, pyrite, fluorite, smoky quartz and rarely heulandite-Sr. Calcite occurs in many different forms, individual crystals not infrequently displaying multiple growth habits. Although latterly mined for barite, crystallised barite is rare.
Recent identification work has added to the species list; millerite, apatite, woodruffite, ancylite as small pale pink crystals on calcite and most recent of all, kainosite; a full description of its occurrence here can be found in the UK Journal of Mines and Minerals Issue No. 26.
The deposit was first discovered in 1722 by Sir Alexander Murray of Stanhope, mining then commencing for lead ore. The mine was worked from 1724 to 1740 by the York Building Co. and then intermittently throughout the 18th and 19th centuries by various companies and miners but reports suggest that little return was achieved from the mines.
 During the 18th century mining was even more problematical than it normally is. One contemporary report stated that amongst the companies many problems were 'Highlanders' stealing cattle, throwing sheep over precipices and setting fire to buildings such that General Wade sent a sergeant and twenty men to help protect the owners interest.
Consolidated Goldfields carried out a drilling programme in the 1960’s that identified a deposit of 2 million tonnes of barite. In 1982 Minworth Ltd commenced work on the deposit by means of 3 opencasts and a drift just to the west of Clashgorm quarry between Whitesmith and Bellsgrove mines. This operation has now finished. Strontian - Whitesmith Mine >
The barite lead and zinc mineralisation is associated with a shear zone which extends for over 2 kms, up to
15 metres wide and at least 300 metres deep. Old mine workings show the full extent of mineralisation to be 7kms laterally.
Part of the Bellsgrove surface workings are now being quarried for roadstone and permission must be sought to visit any of the mines. A leaflet on the history and geology of the mines is now available at the local Scottish Tourist Board office in Strontian. There are many opencuts and shafts in the area
which are dangerous and never enter any of the old workings. They are
unstable, often flooded and in many cases
full of toxic gas.
Mineral specimens that have been found at the various mines include:-
Corrantee Calcite, Galena, Sphalerite, Marcasite, Harmotome. Kainosite-Y, Ancylite-Ce.
Whitesmith Brewsterite, Strontianite, Galena, Heulandite-Sr, Woodruffite, Pyrite. Calcite, Ancylite-Ce.
Bellsgrove & Clashgorm Calcite, Harmotome, Sphalerite, Fluorite, Pyrite, Quartz, Galena.
Fee Donald Harmotome, Calcite, Barite, Pyrite, Galena.
(Below) Fee Donald Mine. Advert for Strontian barite, 1984 >
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