Uraninite Crystals in Augite - Bicroft Mine, near Bancroft, Ontario

Black uraninite crystals set in augite from the Bicroft Mine, one of the best-known uranium operations in the Bancroft district of Ontario’s Grenville Province. The combination is what makes this piece appealing: the dense, submetallic black of the uraninite stands out sharply against the dark green pyroxene host, and the crystals are well defined within the matrix.

Bicroft was a significant producer during the uranium boom of the 1950s and early 1960s, and its ore came from pegmatitic and skarn-type rock where uraninite occurs alongside pyroxene and other accessory minerals. Uraninite crystallized in its host rock, rather than loose or as isolated grains, shows the species in its original geological context, and specimens from named Bancroft mines with documented provenance are increasingly hard to find now that the district is long closed.

A great addition to a Canadian uranium suite, a collection of Bancroft-area classics, or a display showing mineral associations from the Grenville Province.

ex. Eric Quinter Collection