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Warden Point, Warden, Swale, Kent, England, UKi
| Regional Level Types | |
|---|---|
| Warden Point | Coast |
| Warden | Civil Parish |
| Swale | Non-metropolitan District |
| Kent | County |
| England | Constituent Country |
| UK | Country |
This page kindly sponsored by Ricky Mowatt
Latitude & Longitude (WGS84):
51° 24' 50'' North , 0° 54' 23'' East
Latitude & Longitude (decimal):
UK National Grid Reference:
TR021724
Type:
Köppen climate type:
Warden Point is one of the most important exposures of the Eocene London Clay Formation in the United Kingdom and has been a renowned collecting locality for over two centuries. The site is internationally recognised for its exceptionally preserved fossils, pyritised material, septarian concretions and occurrences of gypsum var. selenite.
The London Clay cliffs at Warden Point are actively eroding, with retreat estimated at approximately 3 metres per year. This continual erosion exposes fresh material onto the foreshore, making the locality exceptionally productive for collectors. However, the same process also makes the site inherently dangerous. Cliff falls are frequent and can occur without warning, and collectors should never work directly beneath unstable cliff faces.
Selenite occurs as individual crystals, crystal groups and classic fishtail (swallowtail) twins. Recent discoveries have demonstrated that Warden Point is capable of producing exceptionally large specimens, including twins exceeding 20 cm in length. Some specimens also exhibit a strong blue fluorescence and visible phosphorescence under short-wave ultraviolet illumination, with certain prismatic twin habits displaying distinct hourglass-shaped growth-sector zoning.
The foreshore is heavily influenced by tidal conditions, and visitors should be aware of tide times, weather conditions and safe exit routes before collecting.
The best crystals are found in boulders which have a brick-red outer colour. Hit with a hammer, the boulder should shatter instantly if the inside contains sizeable cracks. If it doesn't shatter immediately - move on - there will be nothing inside it, and you'll just be wasting your energy.
Select Mineral List Type
Standard Detailed Gallery Strunz Chemical ElementsMineral List
8 valid minerals.
Rock Types Recorded
Select Rock List Type
Alphabetical List Tree DiagramDetailed Mineral List:
| ⓘ Albite Formula: Na(AlSi3O8) |
| ⓘ Baryte Formula: BaSO4 Habit: Radial crystal groups forming balls of crystal. Colour: White, transparent, grey Fluorescence: White LW Description: Found in cracks in septarian nodules. |
| ⓘ Calcite Formula: CaCO3 |
| ⓘ Dolomite Formula: CaMg(CO3)2 |
| ⓘ Gypsum Formula: CaSO4 · 2H2O Fluorescence: Yellow-white in LW, White phosphorescence |
| ⓘ Gypsum var. Selenite Formula: CaSO4 · 2H2O References: |
| ⓘ 'K Feldspar' |
| ⓘ 'Mica Group' |
| ⓘ Natrojarosite Formula: NaFe3(SO4)2(OH)6 |
| ⓘ Pyrite Formula: FeS2 |
| ⓘ Quartz Formula: SiO2 |
| ⓘ 'Smectite Group' Formula: A0.3D2-3[T4O10]Z2 · nH2O |
Gallery:
List of minerals arranged by Strunz 10th Edition classification
| Group 2 - Sulphides and Sulfosalts | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| ⓘ | Pyrite | 2.EB.05a | FeS2 |
| Group 4 - Oxides and Hydroxides | |||
| ⓘ | Quartz | 4.DA.05 | SiO2 |
| Group 5 - Nitrates and Carbonates | |||
| ⓘ | Calcite | 5.AB.05 | CaCO3 |
| ⓘ | Dolomite | 5.AB.10 | CaMg(CO3)2 |
| Group 7 - Sulphates, Chromates, Molybdates and Tungstates | |||
| ⓘ | Baryte | 7.AD.35 | BaSO4 |
| ⓘ | Natrojarosite | 7.BC.10 | NaFe3(SO4)2(OH)6 |
| ⓘ | Gypsum | 7.CD.40 | CaSO4 · 2H2O |
| ⓘ | var. Selenite | 7.CD.40 | CaSO4 · 2H2O |
| Group 9 - Silicates | |||
| ⓘ | Albite | 9.FA.35 | Na(AlSi3O8) |
| Unclassified | |||
| ⓘ | 'Mica Group' | - | |
| ⓘ | 'K Feldspar' | - | |
| ⓘ | 'Smectite Group' | - | A0.3D2-3[T4O10]Z2 · nH2O |
List of minerals for each chemical element
| H | Hydrogen | |
|---|---|---|
| H | ⓘ Gypsum | CaSO4 · 2H2O |
| H | ⓘ Natrojarosite | NaFe3(SO4)2(OH)6 |
| H | ⓘ Gypsum var. Selenite | CaSO4 · 2H2O |
| H | ⓘ Smectite Group | A0.3D2-3[T4O10]Z2 · nH2O |
| C | Carbon | |
| C | ⓘ Calcite | CaCO3 |
| C | ⓘ Dolomite | CaMg(CO3)2 |
| O | Oxygen | |
| O | ⓘ Albite | Na(AlSi3O8) |
| O | ⓘ Baryte | BaSO4 |
| O | ⓘ Calcite | CaCO3 |
| O | ⓘ Dolomite | CaMg(CO3)2 |
| O | ⓘ Gypsum | CaSO4 · 2H2O |
| O | ⓘ Natrojarosite | NaFe3(SO4)2(OH)6 |
| O | ⓘ Quartz | SiO2 |
| O | ⓘ Gypsum var. Selenite | CaSO4 · 2H2O |
| O | ⓘ Smectite Group | A0.3D2-3[T4O10]Z2 · nH2O |
| Na | Sodium | |
| Na | ⓘ Albite | Na(AlSi3O8) |
| Na | ⓘ Natrojarosite | NaFe3(SO4)2(OH)6 |
| Mg | Magnesium | |
| Mg | ⓘ Dolomite | CaMg(CO3)2 |
| Al | Aluminium | |
| Al | ⓘ Albite | Na(AlSi3O8) |
| Si | Silicon | |
| Si | ⓘ Albite | Na(AlSi3O8) |
| Si | ⓘ Quartz | SiO2 |
| S | Sulfur | |
| S | ⓘ Baryte | BaSO4 |
| S | ⓘ Gypsum | CaSO4 · 2H2O |
| S | ⓘ Natrojarosite | NaFe3(SO4)2(OH)6 |
| S | ⓘ Pyrite | FeS2 |
| S | ⓘ Gypsum var. Selenite | CaSO4 · 2H2O |
| Ca | Calcium | |
| Ca | ⓘ Calcite | CaCO3 |
| Ca | ⓘ Dolomite | CaMg(CO3)2 |
| Ca | ⓘ Gypsum | CaSO4 · 2H2O |
| Ca | ⓘ Gypsum var. Selenite | CaSO4 · 2H2O |
| Fe | Iron | |
| Fe | ⓘ Natrojarosite | NaFe3(SO4)2(OH)6 |
| Fe | ⓘ Pyrite | FeS2 |
| Ba | Barium | |
| Ba | ⓘ Baryte | BaSO4 |
Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality
British and Irish IslesGroup of Islands
Eurasian PlateTectonic Plate
- AvaloniaVolcanic Arc
UK
- England
- Kent
- Swale
- Isle of SheppeyIsland
- Swale
- South-East England Sedimentary AreaGeologic Region
- Kent
This page contains all mineral locality references listed on mindat.org. This does not claim to be a complete list. If you know of more minerals from this site, please register so you can add to our database. This locality information is for reference purposes only. You should never attempt to
visit any sites listed in mindat.org without first ensuring that you have the permission of the land and/or mineral rights holders
for access and that you are aware of all safety precautions necessary.
Warden Point, Warden, Swale, Kent, England, UK