Malachite on Azurite

specimen number:
1052522

location:
Tsumeb Mine, Otjikoto, Namibia

description:
Classic specimen for this locality, a large mostly complete crystal of azurite, this hosting coatings of chatoyant banded crystallized malachite. In good condition with minimal chipping present along one crystal edge. The specimen comes with an antique label as shown at the end of the video and dates to the very early 20th century right after the opening of this famous locality.

The Tsumeb Mine, located in the Oshikoto Region of northern Namibia, is widely considered the most significant mineral locality in the world. Geologically, the deposit is a massive hydrothermal pipe-like structure that penetrates through a thick sequence of Neoproterozoic carbonate rocks belonging to the Otavi Group. This pipe, which extends over 1400 meters deep, was formed by the collapse of a prehistoric cave system that was subsequently filled with polymetallic mineralizing fluids rich in copper, lead, zinc, and silver. Historically, the outcrop was known to local tribes for centuries, but industrial mining began in 1907 under the South West Africa Company. The mine operated for nearly nine decades before closing in 1996, producing an incredible array of over 300 different mineral species, many of which are found nowhere else on Earth.

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