Torbernite

specimen number:
2072129

location:
Shinkolobwe Mine, Likasi, Haut-Katanga, DR Congo

description:
Thin platy emerald green crystals of torbernite averaging 0.3 cm in size on matrix. Minimal damage present.

The Shinkolobwe Mine is located in the Haut-Katanga Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, situated approximately 20 kilometers west of Likasi. Geologically, it sits within the Central African Copperbelt, specifically targeting the Neoproterozoic Mines Group sequence of the Katanga Supergroup. The deposit is a world-class uranium-nickel-cobalt occurrence where mineralization was concentrated within a complexly folded and faulted tectonic wedge. Primary uraninite was deposited approximately 650 million years ago, followed by several stages of hydrothermal alteration that created a unique suite of rare minerals. Historically discovered in 1915 by Robert Rich Sharp, the mine became a focal point of 20th-century history as it provided the high-grade uranium used for the Manhattan Project during World War II. While officially closed in 2004 for safety and security reasons, it remains one of the most scientifically significant mineral localities ever documented.

For mineral collectors, Shinkolobwe is the premier type locality for dozens of rare species, particularly secondary uranium minerals that occur in a spectacular array of colors. The site is famous for producing sharp, bright orange curite, lemon-yellow soddyite, and grass-green torbernite crystals, often found on a dark matrix of massive uraninite. These minerals typically form as delicate needles, tabular plates, or botryoidal crusts within the oxidized zones of the ore body. Because the mine provided such incredibly high-grade material, specimens from the historic workings often exhibit intense color saturation and a high degree of crystal perfection. Due to the radioactivity and the historical significance of the site, specimens from Shinkolobwe are considered essential for any comprehensive systematic or historical mineral collection, representing a pinnacle of mineralogical diversity and rarity.

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