Romerite with Goslarite, Chalcanthite

specimen number:
9302366

location:
Rammelsberg, Harz, Lower-Saxony, Germany

description:
Rich crystallized romerite in a cluster with crystallized goslarite and chalcanthite. Very good example for the species.

The Rammelsberg mine, located near Goslar in the Harz Mountains of Lower Saxony, Germany, is one of the most famous historic mining sites in the world, with documented operations spanning over a thousand years from the tenth century until its final closure in 1988. Geologically, the deposit is a classic sedimentary-exhalative massive sulfide orebody formed during the Devonian period, where metal-bearing hydrothermal solutions discharged onto the ancient seafloor. Mineralogically, the complex ore layers yielded vast amounts of lead, zinc, copper, and silver, while the weathering and oxidation of these sulfide minerals within the mine dumps and underground workings produced a rich variety of secondary sulfate minerals, including romerite. Romerite itself is an uncommon iron sulfate mineral that forms through the alteration of primary iron sulfides in acidic oxidative environments, typically occurring as distinct tabular, pseudocubic, or clustered crystals of brownish to yellowish or purplish hues.

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