Chondrodite and Magnetite

specimen number:
2351039

location:
Palabora Mine, Transvaal, South Africa

description:
Excellent example for the species, lustrous deep red crystals of chondrodite measuring to 0.3 cm in size on matrix. The matrix is mostly coated with black micro sparkling crystals of magnetite. In good condition. The specimen comes with several previous labels, one from the collection of Eric Laskowski and one from the collection of J.P. Gliddon.

The Palabora Mine, located in Transvaal (Limpopo Province), South Africa, is centered on the Palabora Igneous Complex, an alkaline intrusion famous for hosting a major carbonatite deposit rich in copper, phosphate, magnetite, vermiculite, and apatite. Indigenous societies mined copper from the Loolekop outcrop as early as the eighth century AD, leaving behind ancient shafts and artifacts. Modern industrial development began in the 1930s with phosphate and vermiculite extraction, expanding significantly after the incorporation of the Palabora Mining Company in 1956 to exploit large, low-grade copper reserves. Large-scale open-pit copper operations ran from the mid-1960s until 2002, leaving a massive pit over 800 meters deep before transitioning into an underground block-cave operation. Palabora remains a prime site for mineral collecting interest, renowned for fine mineral specimens including bornite, chalcopyrite, valleriite, magnetite, and phlogopite.

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