Malachite

specimen number:
1052774

location:
Kausen, Betzdorf-Gebhardshain, Altenkirchen, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany

description:
A fine choice classic German specimen from the early 19th century. Chatoyant green crystallized malachite is extremely rich throughout this matrix. This is in good condition. The specimen comes with an antique label as shown at the end of the video and has an original acquisition date of 1908.

The Kausen mining area, situated within the historic Siegerland-Wied mining district in the Westerwald region of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, was a notable locality for the extraction of high-grade siderite iron ore and associated base metal sulfides. Geologically, the deposit consists of hydrothermal vein structures hosted within folded and faulted Devonian-age slate, greywacke, and quartzite sedimentary strata belonging to the Rhenohercynian zone of the Variscan orogeny. Ascending iron- and carbonate-rich hydrothermal fluids filled deep-seated fault fissures, precipitating massive beds of manganiferous siderite along with localized zones of chalcopyrite, galena, and sphalerite, which mineral collectors value for producing sharp secondary crystals and classic sulfide specimens. Historically, while primitive surface quarrying and small-scale iron smelting in the surrounding forest pits date back to the Celtic period and the Middle Ages, formal industrial underground mining accelerated during the nineteenth century, driven by the expansion of deep vertical shafts and mechanized pumping systems. The primary operations in Kausen, most notably at the historic Grube Kausen and surrounding consolidated concessions, were actively worked by local mining cooperatives and larger corporate steel syndicates through the late 1800s and early 1900s to supply raw material to the ironworks of the Sieg valley. Due to the eventual depletion of easily accessible vein structures, high underground pumping costs, and competition from cheaper international ore imports, production steadily contracted after World War I, leading to the permanent closure and final abandonment of all major commercial mining operations at the Kausen properties by the early 1930s.

The mineral dealership of C. Riemer, based in Magdeburg, Germany, during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, operated as a notable regional distributor of specialized geological and mineralogical specimens tailored for educational institutions, academic researchers, and advanced private collectors. Functioning alongside contemporaneous central German enterprises, Riemer specialized in sourcing, documenting, and preparing mineral suites that prominently featured classic structural occurrences from regional German volcanic zones, the Harz Mountains, and the famous salt and potash deposits of the Saxony-Anhalt region, such as Stassfurt and Leopoldshall. His commercial business catalogs and meticulously curated specimen assemblies targeted the expanding demands of technical universities and scientific associations during a highly active period of European mineralogical classification and economic geology. The dealership provided meticulously labeled reference pieces, frequently mounted or resting on distinct, hand-written or stamped white paper merchant tags that explicitly preserved the precise mineral chemistry, crystallization style, and localized mine provenance.

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