Malachite with Chrysocolla

specimen number:
8282244

location:
Mashamba West Mine, Kolwezi, Lualaba, DR Congo

description:

Attractive combination specimen with green botryoidal crystallized malachite scattered across the top of a beautiful blue botryoidal crystallized chrysocolla covered matrix. This is in great condition.

The Mashamba West mine, situated near Kolwezi in the Lualaba Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, is a prominent copper and cobalt deposit located within the western region of the Central African Copperbelt. Geologically, the ore body is hosted within the highly deformed Neoproterozoic sedimentary sequences of the Roan Group, part of the broader Katanga Supergroup, where primary strata consist of dolomitic shales and siltstones. Intense hydrothermal activity introduced primary copper and cobalt sulfides, which subsequently underwent profound supergene enrichment and deep oxidation under tropical weathering conditions, creating an abundance of vibrant secondary minerals such as malachite, cuprite, and carrollite. Open-pit mining operations were initiated at the site in 1978 by the state-owned mining company Gecamines to tap into these rich, shallow copper-cobalt resources. Industrial extraction continued steadily until 1988, when changing economic conditions and logistical challenges led to a suspension of large-scale operations, though the locality has remained active into the twenty-first century through specialized artisanal mining targeting high-grade specimen zones.

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