Azurite with Arsentsumebite

specimen number:
1052428

location:
Tsumeb Mine, Otjikoto, Namibia

description:
Brilliant sparkling deep blue crystals of azurite to 0.5 cm in size rich across the top of matrix with green crystallized arsentsumebite. Minimal damage present, a fine historical example from this famous locality. The specimen comes with an antique label as shown at the end of the video and dates to the very early days at this locality at the beginning of the 20th century.

The Tsumeb Mine in northern Namibia is one of the most famous mineral localities in the world and was worked from the late 1800s until 1996 for copper, lead, and zinc. The deposit is known for its complex pipe like ore body and exceptionally rich oxidized zones that produced an extraordinary variety of minerals. Mining was carried out through deep underground workings and yielded both important ore production and some of the finest mineral specimens known. Tsumeb remains a classic locality highly regarded by collectors and mineralogists.

Arsentsumebite is a rare lead copper arsenate mineral that occurs in the oxidized zones of copper deposits, especially at Tsumeb. It typically forms as small green to yellow green crystals or aggregates and is part of a series with related phosphate minerals. The mineral was first described from Tsumeb, which is its type locality.

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