FMF - Friends of Minerals Forum, discussion and message board

[Roger Warin]

Hi,
Kipushi (Katanga - Congo) has long been a famous mine. Probably the rarest mineral of this mine is veszelyite (a hydrated copper - zinc hydroxide phosphate). Veszelyite was identified in 1926 by H. Buttgenbach who gave the name “kipushite”. He knew the veszelyite holotype but was misleading because it contained 10.5% of arsenic oxide.
I described the veszelyite on the AGAB site
https://www.agab.be/mineralogie/Katanga/veszelyite.html
(link normalized by FMF)

[newryqs]

Please post these at Mindat, as well. Wonderful images!

Best Wishes, Van

[Michael Shaw]

Wow. Beautiful specimen and images.
Michael

[Don Lum]

I second the Wow !!!

Outstanding specimen and photos, Roger.

Don

[Roger Warin]

Thank you for your appreciation
Roger.

[Roger Warin]

Hi
A rare calcite from Kipushi, Katanga, D.R. Congo.
With a steep rhombohedral habit.
Roger.

[Roger Warin]

Hi,
On a primary rhombohedral calcite is deposited a second generation of crystals.
Roger.

[Roger Warin]

Hi,
The trigonal symmetry is preserved, as shown in the photograph profile of the base of the same group.
Is this a parallel growth, I don’t know.
Roger.

[Roger Warin]

Hi,
One is sometimes surprised by the presence of very steep rhombohedra, as in quartz.
Here in this calcite, this feature is amplified by a parallel growth in the same axis.
This is a sample of calcite from the Kipushi Mine. During colonial times, the Belgian geologists have given the name of frite calcite !
A very steep negative rhombohedron {0.14.1} gives the particular shape of this calcite. It ended with a small negative rhombohedron {01.2}.
Roger.