Libethenite

specimen number:
2133304

location:
Lubietova, Banska Bystrica, Slovakia

description:
From the type locality for the species, lustrous green crystals of libethenite measuring to 0.3 cm in size across the front of matrix. In good condition.

The historic town of Lubietova, located in the central region of Slovakia within the Western Carpathians, is renowned for its rich geological heritage and extensive copper mining legacy. The local geology is characterized by the Veporic superunit, featuring Paleozoic gneisses, migmatites, and granite porphyries intersected by hydrothermal quartz-carbonate ore veins. These veins contain primary sulfides and sulfosalts, primarily chalcopyrite and tetrahedrite-tennantite, which underwent intense weathering to form a famous supergene oxidation zone rich in secondary copper phosphate and carbonate minerals, including libethenite and mrazekite. Mining and quarrying activity in Lubietova began as early as the late Bronze Age, with formal underground operations expanding significantly in the 14th century when it was granted the status of a free royal mining town in 1379. Production peaked during the 15th and 16th centuries under the commercial management of the Thurzo-Fugger company, which exported massive quantities of copper across Europe. Operations faced a gradual decline due to resource depletion and flooding, leading to sporadic mining throughout the 18th and 19th centuries until all major commercial deep-mining operations officially ceased in the early 20th century.

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