Wulfenite with Dolomite, Duftite, Mottramite

specimen number:
2133309

location:
Tsumeb Mine, Otjikoto, Namibia

description:
Platy crystals of wulfenite measuring to 0.7 cm in size on a crystallized dolomite matrix with duftite and mottramite. In good condition. Azurite is present as well.

The Tsumeb mine, located in the Otavi Mountain Land of northern Namibia, was a world-class underground operation celebrated for its remarkable geological complexity and prolific mineral diversity. The deposit is geologically classified as a polymetallic, carbonate-hosted hydrothermal pipe structure that cuts steeply through the Neoproterozoic dolomites of the Damara Supergroup. This massive, pipe-like orebody was intensely concentrated with primary copper, lead, zinc, silver, arsenic, and germanium sulfides, which subsequently underwent extensive deep-seated supergene weathering to form three distinct, well-developed oxidation zones containing hundreds of rare secondary minerals. Indigenous San and Ovambo peoples engaged in near-surface quarrying and localized copper smelting at the prominent "Green Hill" outcrop for centuries prior to European colonization. Industrialized operations officially commenced in 1900 under the German-led Otavi Mining and Railway Company (Otavi Minen- und Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft, or OMEG). Following the Second World War, the property was acquired by the Tsumeb Corporation Limited (TCL) in 1947, which deepened the underground shafts and modernized the on-site smelting infrastructure. Commercial mining operations continued under TCL management until severe economic strain, labor strikes, and resource depletion culminated in the permanent closure of the deep-level underground mine in 1996.

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