Calcite

specimen number:
2354165

location:
Kakanda Mine, Lualaba, DR Congo

description:
Attractive sparkling pink crystals of calcite to 0.2 cm in size mostly covering the top of matrix. The color is due to the presence of cobalt. In great condition.

The Kakanda Mine, situated in Lualaba Province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, is a major stratiform copper and cobalt deposit hosted within the Neoproterozoic sedimentary rocks of the Katanga Supergroup. Originating in the twentieth century during the colonial expansion of industrial mining in the Central African Copperbelt, the open-pit operations targeted rich oxide and sulfide ore bodies embedded in dolomites and shales. Hydrothermal fluid alteration and deep surface weathering created exceptional secondary oxidation zones where spectacular copper and uranium-bearing minerals precipitated inside fractures and cavities. The locality achieved worldwide renown among mineral collectors for producing outstanding specimens of malachite, dark blue azurite, metatorbernite and pink calcite. While large-scale industrial extraction and artisanal mining continue to rework the site, specimens collected from Kakanda remain prized standards in major mineralogical collections globally.

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