FMF - Friends of Minerals Forum, discussion and message board

[GneissWare]

I picked up a large cabinet sized Descloizite a number of years ago with a locality that I can't seem to pin down. I don't yet have a photo of the specimen, but it has large 1+ cm blocky, greyish-black crystals.

The original handwritten label, written in script by a european (probably German) says:
farm Harrisis, near Tsumeb, Namibia.

The word "farm" may be "from", as it is scribbled a bit.

Anyone have any ideas on this locality?

[GneissWare]

By the way, the specimen is from the 1950s or earlier.

[Montanpark]

Hi,
please add a picture of the specimen and (more important) a picture of the label, maybe i can help,

cheers
Roger

[GneissWare]

I will try to get a photo of the specimen and label posted later today.

[Jordi Fabre]

"Farm" should be OK, as many locality names in Namibia are related with farms, like Davib ost farm, Tubussis farm, Okatjimukuju farm, Ameib farm, etcetera...but I never hear about a farm named Harrisis (or Harrissis)
Hopefully some other minsurfer can help...

[lluis]

Good afternoon

I would guess that it could be
Alt Bobos mine, Uris 481 farm, Otavi, Otjozondjupa Region, Namibia

It is listed in Mindat, has Uris and farm
Uris could be missunderstood as Hariss ...

I got an old piece from Namibia with an old label written: chielit.
I got crazy trying to figure what it is. Finally I got : scheelite, from probably Schlagenwalde, Germany...

Hope that it serves

With best wishes

Lluís

[Edelmin]

Hi,

Another possibility to take into account is the farm Harasib 317 (similar to Harrisis) where, along with farm Block 648, four deposits were located known as Tigerschlucht, Harasib 1, Harasib 2 and Teco. Mining was confined to shallow pits, small open pit mines and some exploratory shafts. Minerals recorded form these deposits are galena, sphalerite, descloizite, vanadinite and pyromorphite. Descloizite used to be dark green to black and was cuprian in composition. These deposits are located in the Otavi Mountainland.

I hope this can help.

Best regards,

Felix Garcia

[Montanpark]

Felix got a good point, this could be the right locale. But still i´d like to see the label,
cheers
Roger

[GneissWare]

Well, I finally got home and took some photos.

[Montanpark]

The label is clearly written, it mentions Descloizit - xx, 2 Typen, Farm Harrisis by Tsumeb, S. W. Africa. But that makes me suspicious that it was NOT written by a German. It could be dutch or afrikaans as well - as in German BY (BIJ in dutch) would be written BEI (which means near). Also, it would be written S.W. AfriKa with a K. From the look it is hard to tell if it may be a "classic" Aukas or Abenab ... so i would prefer Felix´ opinion to be the probable one.
cheers
Roger

[GneissWare]

The label looked to me like it was written by someone whose native language was germanic (including Dutch), based on the way the mineral name was written, as well as the phrase "2 Typen", but, as you note, the rest of the label is clearly in english.

I presume "2 Typen" refers to two crystal habits?

[Montanpark]

means 2 types which could mean the habit, yes,

cheers
Roger