Veszelyite

specimen number:
9507146

location:
Dongchuan Cu Mine, Sanguozhuang, Dongchuan, Kunming, Yunnan, China

description:
A superb grouping of deep blue lustrous veszelyite crystals 2.3 x 1.8 cm in size set nicely on matrix. In excellent condition. Very choice in fine for the species.

The Dongchuan Copper Mine in Sanguozhuang, Yunnan Province, China, is an ancient mining region with operations dating back over two millennia to supply raw materials for imperial coinage, and while specific historical opening and formal closing dates are not precisely documented, parts of the district continue to be explored and studied for modern mineralogy. Geologically, the deposit is hosted within the Mesoproterozoic Dongchuan Group, consisting primarily of metamorphosed sedimentary and carbonate sequences like dolostones and slates that underwent complex sedimentation, deformation, and hydrothermal superimposition. Within the oxidized zones of these base metal deposits, rare secondary minerals such as veszelyite (a vibrant blue copper-zinc phosphate) and cuprodongchuanite form as supergene alteration products resulting from surface water weathering of primary copper, lead, and zinc sulfide veins.

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