Cuprite with Calcite

specimen number:
8821972

location:
Tsumeb mine, Otjikoto, Namibia

description:

Attractive red sharp lustrous crystals of cuprite to 0.5 cm in size across the front of matrix with light green crystallized calcite. In good condition. Nice for this Namibian classic.

The Tsumeb Mine, located in the Otavi Mountains of northern Namibia, is a world-renowned polymetallic ore deposit hosted within Precambrian carbonate rocks. Geologically, the deposit formed within a steeply dipping, pipe-like structure created by intense tectonic activity, karstification, and hydrothermal fluid circulation. It is celebrated globally for its extraordinary mineralogy, featuring hundreds of distinct mineral species—including dozens found nowhere else on Earth—owing to deep oxidation zones that produced exceptional secondary crystal specimens. Indigenous peoples initially utilized surface outcrops for copper, but large-scale industrial mining began in 1897 under German colonial rule, turning the site into a massive producer of copper, lead, zinc, and germanium until its final closure in 1996.

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