Tennantite

specimen number:
2063311

location:
Tsumeb Mine, Otjikoto, Namibia

description:
A grouping of semi lustrous very sharp metallic tennantite crystals, the two larger crystals measuring to 3.5 cm on edge. These are in good condition. The specimen comes with a previous label from the collection of Ray DeMark. His label notes that he acquired the piece in February, 1986 from a mining engineer working at this locality named Clive King.

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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