Malachite with Quartz

specimen number:
9506659

location:
Mindingi mine, Kambove, Haut-Katanga, DR Congo

description:

Attractive velvety chatoyant green botryoidal crystallized malachite across the top of this quartz crystal matrix. The quartz crystals are lustrous and highly translucent, and measure to 1.5 cm in size. In good condition.

The Mindingi Mine, located near Kambove in the Haut-Katanga Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, is part of the prolific Central African Copperbelt. Geologically, the deposit is situated within Neoproterozoic sedimentary sequences of the Katanga Supergroup, consisting primarily of dolomitic shales, dolostones, and siltstones where circulating groundwater and supergene oxidation enriched copper-bearing zones. Historically, mining operations in the Kambove region date back to early twentieth-century colonial prospecting and large-scale industrial development by Union Miniere du Haut-Katanga, later transitioning through various state and commercial ventures. Mineralogically, the Mindingi Mine has gained significant fame among collectors for producing exceptional secondary copper specimens, most notably vibrant green malachite in rich botryoidal and fibrous crystal formations.

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