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Mepal Bridge, Mepal, East Cambridgeshire, Cambridgeshire, England, UKi
| Regional Level Types | |
|---|---|
| Mepal Bridge | Bridge |
| Mepal | Civil Parish |
| East Cambridgeshire | District |
| Cambridgeshire | County |
| England | Constituent Country |
| UK | Country |
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Latitude & Longitude (WGS84):
52° 24' 44'' North , 0° 6' 46'' East
Latitude & Longitude (decimal):
UK National Grid Reference:
TL437815
Type:
Köppen climate type:
Sharply developed individuals and twins of gypsum (selenite) are included in the Whewell Gallery and the teaching collection of the Cambridge University Earth Science Department, all of which are labelled 'Mepal Bridge, Cambridgeshire'. It is surmised that these were collected early in the 20th century during the construction of a bridge. Some crystals are part of the Walker collection acquired by the museum in 1908.
The location was visited in 1998 and loose selenite crystals found in soil, derived from Ampthill Clay along the New Bedford River just north and east of the bridge (52degrees 24.660'N 0 degrees 6.930'E) at Mepal. This is the old bridge near the Three Pickerals Inn. Note in my original J. Russell Soc. paper the location was incorrectly referenced as the Old Bedford River.
The crystals show remarkable white to lemon-yellow fluorescence in LW-UV light and phosphoresce bright green for 0.5-5 seconds after removal of the UV source. Recently collected crystals show evidence of partial dissolution, probably by rainwater.
Select Mineral List Type
Standard Detailed Gallery Strunz Chemical ElementsDetailed Mineral List:
| ⓘ Gypsum Formula: CaSO4 · 2H2O |
| ⓘ Gypsum var. Selenite Formula: CaSO4 · 2H2O |
List of minerals arranged by Strunz 10th Edition classification
| Group 7 - Sulphates, Chromates, Molybdates and Tungstates | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| ⓘ | Gypsum | 7.CD.40 | CaSO4 · 2H2O |
| ⓘ | var. Selenite | 7.CD.40 | CaSO4 · 2H2O |
List of minerals for each chemical element
| H | Hydrogen | |
|---|---|---|
| H | ⓘ Gypsum | CaSO4 · 2H2O |
| H | ⓘ Gypsum var. Selenite | CaSO4 · 2H2O |
| O | Oxygen | |
| O | ⓘ Gypsum | CaSO4 · 2H2O |
| O | ⓘ Gypsum var. Selenite | CaSO4 · 2H2O |
| S | Sulfur | |
| S | ⓘ Gypsum | CaSO4 · 2H2O |
| S | ⓘ Gypsum var. Selenite | CaSO4 · 2H2O |
| Ca | Calcium | |
| Ca | ⓘ Gypsum | CaSO4 · 2H2O |
| Ca | ⓘ Gypsum var. Selenite | CaSO4 · 2H2O |
Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality
British and Irish IslesGroup of Islands
Eurasian PlateTectonic Plate
- AvaloniaVolcanic Arc
EuropeContinent
UK
- England
- South-East England Sedimentary AreaGeologic Region
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Mepal Bridge, Mepal, East Cambridgeshire, Cambridgeshire, England, UK