Torbernite

specimen number:
2262108

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

description:
Attractive green platy crystals of torbernite to 0.2 cm in size across the top of matrix. Minimal contacting present, still in good condition. This was collected in the late 1950s.

The Shinkolobwe Mine, located in the Katanga Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, is historically recognized as the world's most significant source of high-grade uranium and radium. Geologically, the deposit is hosted within the Neoproterozoic Roan Group of the Katanga Supergroup, where tectonic activity created a complex series of faults and folds that trapped hydrothermal mineralizing fluids within dolomite and shale units. The mine is a renowned locality for torbernite, a hydrated copper uranyl phosphate mineral that occurs as vivid, emerald-green, tabular crystals often forming spectacular foliated or micaceous aggregates. Historically, mining and quarrying activities began in 1921 after the discovery of the outcrop by Robert Rich Sharp in 1915, with the Union Miniere du Haut-Katanga overseeing operations. The mine became a site of extreme strategic importance during the 1940s, as it provided the vast majority of the uranium used for the Manhattan Project. While official commercial mining was halted in 1960 and the shafts were sealed with concrete in 2004 to prevent illegal artisanal extraction, the site remains a critical reference for the study of secondary uranium mineralogy and global industrial history through 2026.

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