Title
sulphur
Composition
S
Crystal System
Orthorhombic
Status at Tsumeb
Confirmed
Abundance
Very rare
Distribution
First and second oxidation zones; country rock (dolostone stratigraphy)
Paragenesis
Supergene; rock-forming (diagenetic).
Type Locality
No
Entry Type
Species TSNB337
General Notes
Sulphur was listed by Klein (1938), occurring as coatings on schultenite and with galena and anglesite in ore stringers in the eastern part of the ore body at a depth of 190 m below the surface (7 Level).
Strunz et al. (1958b) and Geier (1973/74) described elemental sulphur from the second oxidation zone where they believed it to be directly associated with the decomposition of sulphides, mainly pyrite.
Pinch and Wilson (1977) stated that sulphur occurs as "… light yellow encrustations very rarely in the upper and lower oxidation zones."
Lombaard et al. (1986) considered sulphur extremely rare at Tsumeb.
Hughes (1987) observed sulphur with calcite and gypsum in horizons in the T7 unit of the dolostone host stratigraphy that he interpreted as evaporitic in origin. According to Hughes:
"A search of the mineral collection of Tsumeb Corporation Limited and of old diamond drill-hole logs revealed that native sulphur, gypsum and anhydrite had been intersected in zone T7 in a number of drill holes at the Tsumeb and Kombat mines. Most samples consist of irregular areas and veinlets of these minerals, in which native sulphur occurs as cores to veins of gypsum or calcite."
Sulphur is rarely encountered in cavities in oxidising sulphides. A specimen in the Southwood collection (MS 2014.315) has irregular sub-mm globs of sulphur (EDS confirmed) associated with cerussite and mimetite on oxidising galena.
Associated Minerals
anglesite; anhydrite; calcite; cerussite; galena; gypsum; mimetite; pyrite; schultenite
