Hopeite

specimen number:
1052840

location:
Kabwe, Central Province, Zambia

description:
An antique glass vial with several crystals and partial crystals of hopeite. The specimen comes with an antique label as shown. This dates to the early 20th century. The size provided is the size of the vial.

Kabwe, Zambia, originally named Broken Hill, was established following the 1902 discovery of a massive lead and zinc deposit hosted within the dolomitic rocks of the late Neoproterozoic Katanga Supergroup. Commercial mining, which ran from 1904 until 1994, targeted several pipe-like orebodies that featured a central core of massive sulfides surrounded by a deep silicate and carbonate oxidation zone. In addition to its industrial importance, the mine became globally famous in 1921 when excavators discovered ancient human remains inside the "Bone Cavern" of the primary orebody, alongside a rich assemblage of secondary minerals. Within this oxidation zone, the weathering of primary zinc-bearing sphalerite in the presence of phosphate-rich surface waters led to the crystallization of hopeite, a rare hydrated zinc phosphate. The cavernous spaces of Kabwe yielded some of the finest known specimens of this mineral, where it typically occurs as distinct, glassy, prismatic crystals ranging from colorless to shades of yellow and deep orange.

Questions about this specimen?
Send an email or call us: 314-341-1811.