Smithsonite (J-69)

specimen number:
9273223

location:
Tsumeb Mine, Otjikoto, Namibia

description:

Superb large scalenohedral crystals of lustrous mostly gemmy smithsonite measuring to 2.2 cm in height coming off matrix. In super condition.

The Tsumeb mine, located in the Oshikoto region of northern Namibia, was a legendary underground polymetallic operation renowned for its remarkably complex chemistry. Geologically, the deposit consists of a steeply dipping, pipe-like breccia structure that penetrates deep into the thick Neoproterozoic carbonate sequences of the Otavi Group dolomite. Hydrothermal fluids filled this pipe-like conduit with massive primary copper, lead, and zinc sulfides, which later underwent intense, deep-reaching groundwater oxidation to create distinct mineralized zones holding hundreds of different species. While indigenous peoples had surface-mined the outcroppings for centuries, formal corporate development began under the Otavi Minen und Eisenbahn Gesellschaft, which initiated large-scale industrial mining and smelting in 1907. The property was later acquired by the Tsumeb Corporation Limited in 1947, marking a major mid-century production boom of deep shaft underground extraction. Following nearly nine decades of continuous output, a combination of declining ore grades, labor disputes, and severe flooding led to the permanent closure of the mine in 1996.

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