minium

Dull-red coatings of minium were first noted by Biehl (1919) and its occurrence was listed by subsequently by Strunz et al. (1958), Strunz and Tennyson (1967), Bartelke (1976) and Keller (1984). Lombaard et al. (1986), however, considered the occurrence of minium at Tsumeb to be questionable.

According to Gebhard (1999) minium was identified as coatings on cerussite/hydrocerussite in the so-called "Lead Pocket" discovery of 1991, on 43 Level in the third oxidation zone. Here, minium occurs as dull-red partial coatings on cerussite altering to hydrocerussite. Gebhard (1999) notes that massicot and litharge were also associated.

Analysis of red calcite crystals associated with mottramite from a distinctive paragenesis at Tsumeb has indicated that the calcite is coloured by inclusions of minium (Mariusz Olezszkuk, pers. comm. to M. Southwood, 2015). However, this may be difficult to explain on thermochemical grounds (Mike Rumsey, pers. comm. to M. Southwood, 2018); further work is required to resolve this.

anglesite; calcite; cerussite; hydrocerussite; litharge (?); massicot; mottramite; scotlandite (?)