Brochantite

specimen number:
2062906

location:
Kabolela Mine, Lubudi, Lualaba, DR Congo

description:
The top of this matrix is richly scattered throughout with attractive lustrous green needlelike acicular crystals of brochantite measuring to 0.7 cm in length. This is in very good condition. Collected in the 1990s. The specimen comes with a previous label from the collection of Ray DeMark.

The Kabolela Mine, located near Kambove in the Lualaba province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, sits within the rich metallogenic province of the Central African Copperbelt. Its regional geology is characterized by Neoproterozoic sedimentary rocks of the Katanga Supergroup, specifically the Mines Subgroup of the Roan Group, which feature folded dolomites, shales, and highly mineralized breccia zones. Mining and collecting history at the site dates back to mid-20th-century industrial extraction by Union Miniere, which targeted the region for copper and cobalt. In addition to commercial operations, the mine has gained renown among mineral collectors for producing exceptional secondary copper specimens. Among these, brochantite occurs as vibrant emerald-to-bluish-green crystal clusters, radiating needles, and crusts that form within the weathered oxidation zones of the primary sulfide orebodies.

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