Calcite

specimen number:
8311271

location:
Tsumeb Mine, Otjikoto, Namibia

description:
Lustrous colorless sharp translucent rhombohedral crystals of calcite measuring to 2.0 cm on edge on a crystallized dolomite matrix. This is in really good condition.

The Tsumeb Mine, located in the Oshikoto Region of northern Namibia, is widely considered the most significant mineral locality in history due to its incredible diversity of over 300 different mineral species. Geologically, it is a polymetallic pipe-like ore body that penetrates deeply through the Neoproterozoic dolomite formations of the Otavi Group. This pipe was created by a massive hydrothermal system that deposited primary ores of lead, copper, zinc, silver, germanium, and arsenic. Over millions of years, multiple stages of oxidation and secondary enrichment occurred, reaching depths of over 1000 meters and creating three distinct oxidation zones. Historically, the outcrop was known to local tribes for centuries, but industrial mining began in 1900 under the Otavi Minen-und Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft (OMEG). The mine operated nearly continuously for almost a century, later managed by the Tsumeb Corporation Limited, until its final closure in 1996 due to labor issues and the depletion of easily accessible ore. Its legacy lives on through the world-class specimens of dioptase, azurite, and cerussite that define many of the world's premier museum collections.

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