MT88AK4: Very sharp Azurite crystals, deep blue in colour with bright reflections, partially covered by transparent to white Cerussite crystals forming cyclic twins, and accompanied by green microcrystals of Duftite. A classic Tsumeb specimen from the well-known Desmond Sacco collection.
The specimen has been reviewed, photographed and published in the magazine ‘Mineral Up’ on page 58 of the 2019/01 edition.
Tsumeb Mine is one of the world’s most renowned mineral localities. Geologically, it represents a polymetallic replacement deposit hosted by Proterozoic dolostones of the Otavi Group, formed by the interaction of metal-rich hydrothermal fluids with carbonate rocks. This setting produced an exceptionally complex orebody, celebrated for its remarkable mineralogical diversity, particularly secondary minerals of copper, lead, zinc, arsenic, and germanium, with many species first described from this classic locality.
Tsumeb Mine, Tsumeb, Otjikoto Region Namibia (±1980)
Specimen size: 10 × 7.8 × 5 cm = 3.94” × 3.07” × 1.97”
Main crystal size: 7.1 × 3 cm = 2.80” × 1.18”
With handwritten label from the Desmond Sacco Collection
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