Azurite

specimen number:
1471029

location:
Tsumeb mine, Otjikoto, Namibia

description:

Spectacular lustrous deep blue crystals of terminated azurite measuring to 5.0 cm in height coming off of a breccia matrix. The crystals are quite large for the species, this is in really good condition.

The Tsumeb Mine, located in the Otavi Mountains of northern Namibia, is a world-renowned polymetallic ore deposit hosted within Precambrian carbonate rocks. Geologically, the deposit formed within a steeply dipping, pipe-like structure created by intense tectonic activity, karstification, and hydrothermal fluid circulation. It is celebrated globally for its extraordinary mineralogy, featuring hundreds of distinct mineral species—including dozens found nowhere else on Earth—owing to deep oxidation zones that produced exceptional secondary crystal specimens. Indigenous peoples initially utilized surface outcrops for copper, but large-scale industrial mining began in 1897 under German colonial rule, turning the site into a massive producer of copper, lead, zinc, and germanium until its final closure in 1996.

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