Cuprite

specimen number:
9507114

location:
Onganja Mine, Helen Farm 235, Seeis, Khomas, Namibia

description:

An incredible large sharply formed undamaged octahedral cuprite crystals with little attached matrix. This shows high translucency and beautiful deep red color when backlit as shown in the second photo. Outstanding for the species.

The Onganja Mine, situated on Helen Farm 235 near Seeis in the Khomas Region of central Namibia, has a multi-phase operational history. While small-scale indigenous and early prospecting efforts date back centuries, formal European-backed operations began in the late 19th century. The mine experienced intermittent periods of activity, most notably seeing a modern resurgence utilizing heap-leaching methods from the 1980s until its final closure around 1995. Geologically, the deposit is located within the Damara Belt (Khomas Trough), hosted primarily by metamorphic schist and pelitic metasediments of the Kuiseb Formation. The copper mineralization occurs mainly within subvertical, brecciated quartz-calcite veins that postdate peak regional metamorphism, and the site has gained international renown among mineralogists for producing exceptional specimens of native copper, malachite and large cuprite crystals.

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