Mineral Species
Magnetite
Type Locality
No
Composition
Fe2+Fe3+2O4
Crystal System
Cubic
Status at Tsumeb
Confirmed
Abundance
Somewhat rare
Distribution
Country rocks (kersantite, feldspathic sandstone)
Paragenesis
Rock-forming (igneous, detrital)
Entry Number
Species; TSNB223
General Notes
Pinch and Wilson (1977) commented that magnetite is "… a mineral of the country rock; sometimes in octahedral crystals replaced by hematite".
Lombaard et al. (1986) listed magnetite as an accessory mineral in the feldspathic sandstone, presumably of detrital origin. As such they considered its occurrence "sparse" (i.e., widespread but in small quantities).
Hughes (1987) studied the ore mineralogy of various deposits in the Otavi Mountainland and, at Tsumeb, considered magnetite "not recorded" in the suite of ore minerals.
Gebhard (1999) considered magnetite "common" at Tsumeb, but with no elaboration.
Associated Minerals
albite; almandine; anatase; anorthite; biotite series; clinochlore; epidote; fayalite; fluorapatite; hematite; ilmenite; microcline; montmorillonite; muscovite; orthoclase; quartz; rutile; titanite; tourmaline supergroup; zircon
Pseudomorphs
The following minerals are reported to form pseudomorphs after magnetite: hematite (rare).
