Malachite with Dioptase

specimen number:
8282239

location:
Kaokoveld, Kunene, Namibia

description:

A beautiful combination specimen, the front of this matrix hosting a large spray of green terminated malachite crystals. The lower half of the matrix is coated by sparkling deep green crystals of dioptase. Minor calcite present. This is in super condition.

The Kaokoveld region, situated in the rugged northwestern corner of Namibia, is a geologically diverse terrain celebrated for its exceptional variety of copper, lead, and zinc silicate minerals. Geologically, the area is dominated by Neoproterozoic metasedimentary rocks of the Damara Supergroup, which underwent intense folding, faulting, and regional metamorphism during the Pan-African orogeny. Hydrothermal mineralization introduced base metals into these carbonate-rich sequences, and subsequent deep weathering under arid desert conditions produced extensive supergene oxidation zones rich in vibrant dioptase, malachite, shattuckite, and chrysocolla. Small-scale mining and exploratory quarrying in the Kaokoveld began sporadically under German colonial rule in the early 1900s, but systematic extraction did not take off until the mid-twentieth century. Various small mines and open-cast quarries, such as the Kandesei and Omaue prospects, operated intermittently from the 1950s through the 1970s primarily for copper ore and specimen recovery, with the region today remaining active chiefly for artisanal specimen mining rather than large-scale industrial operations.

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