Hope's Nose SSSI, Torquay, Devon
Coastal cliffs and foreshore, exposure site, finite site for mineralisation, mineral collecting.
Hope's Nose SSSI, Torquay, Devon, is the site of a unique type of gold mineralisation in Devonian limestones. The gold occurs in carbonate veins cutting the limestone, forming tiny specks, almost invisible to the naked eye. Upon treating samples with strong acid, the surrounding carbonate vein dissolves and a spectacular interconnected network of branching gold is revealed. The site is also notable for the occurrence of very rare minerals of palladium and selenium, associated with the gold.
Over a number of years, collectors have removed the carbonate veins without consent from either the owners of the site or from Natural England, using heavy-duty equipment. Samples from Hope's Nose have appeared for sale on the mineral collector's market, where they fetch large sums of money. As a result of these activities, the mineralogical interest at Hope's Nose has virtually disappeared. Samples of Hope's Nose gold can be observed in the Natural History Museum, but it is no longer possible for anybody to observe this unique geological feature in its original context.
