Metazeunerite

specimen number:
2282009

location:
Rabejac Mine, Lodeve, Herault, France

description:
Thin platy crystallized metazeunerite sparse across the top of matrix.

The Rabejac mine, located near Lodeve in the Herault department of Occitanie, France, is a historic uranium deposit situated within the famous Permian Lodeve Basin. Geologically, the mineralization is hosted within a complex sequence of continental sedimentary rocks, primarily organic-rich pelites, siltstones, and sandstones interspersed with thin volcanic ash layers. The uranium mineralization occurred through the low-temperature circulation of groundwater, which precipitated primary uranium oxides that later underwent intense oxidation near the surface to produce an incredibly diverse suite of secondary arsenic, uranium, and copper minerals. Mining operations at Rabejac began in earnest during the post-World War II period under the direction of the Commissariat a l'Energie Atomique (CEA) to secure domestic uranium reserves. Active underground and open-pit extraction took place primarily from the 1950s through the late 1970s and early 1980s until economic reserves were depleted, after which the site underwent extensive environmental reclamation.

Metazeunerite is a hydrous copper uranium arsenate mineral belonging to the autunite group that crystallizes in the tetragonal system. Geologically, it forms as a secondary mineral in the oxidized zones of arsenic-rich hydrothermal copper-uranium deposits, occurring where primary uranium minerals have been broken down by acidic, meteoric fluids. The mineral typically develops as striking, tabular square crystals, micaceous foliated masses, or thin crusts that display a vibrant emerald-green to grass-green color with a vitreous to pearly luster. Like many related uranyl arsenates, metazeunerite exhibits a distinctive, weak to moderate yellowish-green fluorescence under ultraviolet light and is frequently found associated with other secondary minerals such as zeunerite, torbernite, and heinrichite in historic uranium mines like Rabejac.

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