azurite (on smithsonite and goethite)

TSNB718
Specimen
Palache, C.
Exhibit 1. Azurite (w. smithsonite and goethite); 68 mm.
Exhibit 1. Azurite (w. smithsonite and goethite); 68 mm.
Image Credit: Malcolm Southwood
Exhibit 2. Azurite (w. smithsonite and goethite); 68 mm.
Exhibit 2. Azurite (w. smithsonite and goethite); 68 mm.
Image Credit: Malcolm Southwood
Exhibit 3. 25 mm field of view.
Exhibit 3. 25 mm field of view.
Image Credit: Malcolm Southwood
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Specimen Title

azurite (on smithsonite and goethite)

Associated Minerals

cerussite; dolomite (?); goethite; smithsonite

Principal Mineral

Azurite

Size

Cabinet; 68mm

Location in the Mine

First oxidation zone

Provenance

Palache, C.

Collection

MGMH; 96947

Entry Number

Specimen; TSNB718

Description

Two parallel shards of a carbonate matrix – probably dolomite (?) – are encrusted with botryoidal dark brown to greyish-black goethite and, on one face, by sub-botryoidal off-white smithsonite. Slender, prismatic azurite crystals (to 7 mm) have formed on both faces of the specimen; they are highly translucent with a tendency to be flat-lying and sparse on the smithsonite (Exhibit 1) but free-standing and densely packed on the goethite (Exhibit 2). Crystals of colourless cerussite (to 3 mm) are sparsely distributed and post-date the azurite crystallisation.

The specimen is from the collection purchased by Charles Palache during his visit to Tsumeb in December 1922, which dates it to the upper part of the first oxidation zone (i.e. 8 Level or above).