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  • A mineral specimen showcasing a dramatic interplay of bright mint green bayldonite and deep blue azurite crystals. The specimen has a textural, almost spongy appearance with the green bayldonite forming a continuous matrix intergrown with vibrant blue azurite crystals. Some areas show partial pseudomorphic replacement of azurite by malachite. Small white crystalline formations are also visible throughout. The specimen is photographed against a white background, highlighting the striking color contrast betwe
  • A mineral specimen showcasing a dramatic interplay of bright mint green bayldonite and deep blue azurite crystals. The specimen has a textural, almost spongy appearance with the green bayldonite forming a continuous matrix intergrown with vibrant blue azurite crystals. Some areas show partial pseudomorphic replacement of azurite by malachite. Small white crystalline formations are also visible throughout. The specimen is photographed against a white background, highlighting the striking color contrast betwe
  • A mineral specimen showcasing a dramatic interplay of bright mint green bayldonite and deep blue azurite crystals. The specimen has a textural, almost spongy appearance with the green bayldonite forming a continuous matrix intergrown with vibrant blue azurite crystals. Some areas show partial pseudomorphic replacement of azurite by malachite. Small white crystalline formations are also visible throughout. The specimen is photographed against a white background, highlighting the striking color contrast betwe
  • A mineral specimen showcasing a dramatic interplay of bright mint green bayldonite and deep blue azurite crystals. The specimen has a textural, almost spongy appearance with the green bayldonite forming a continuous matrix intergrown with vibrant blue azurite crystals. Some areas show partial pseudomorphic replacement of azurite by malachite. Small white crystalline formations are also visible throughout. The specimen is photographed against a white background, highlighting the striking color contrast betwe

AZURITE & BAYLDONITE

Tsumeb Mine, Tsumeb, Otjikoto Region, Namibia
5.7 x 5 x 3.7 cm
$600.00
$600.00
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Classic example of Tsumeb mineralogy! Sharp blue azurite crystals, partially pseudomorphing to malachite, grown together with an abundant group of the rare lead-copper arsenate bayldonite. The contrast of the deep blue with the multiple shades of green gives it what I can only describe as an alluring appearance. When one finds Tsumeb specimens of bayldonite, it's usually with patchy coverage and much duller color. Here we have rich and attractive minty green color, and the coverage is continuous throughout the whole specimen. There are a couple of other species present, though we haven't had it analyzed.

 

 

More info:

The mineralization sequence at Tsumeb Mine exhibits a complex paragenesis involving azurite and bayldonite within oxidized portions of the polymetallic deposit. Primary copper sulfides undergo oxidation through interaction with meteoric waters, producing azurite through reaction with carbonate-rich solutions. Bayldonite forms subsequently through interaction of copper- and arsenic-bearing solutions with lead minerals in an oxidizing environment. The minerals typically occur within vugs and fractures in dolomitic host rocks. Azurite displays characteristic prismatic to tabular crystals, while bayldonite forms as pale green botryoidal aggregates to microcrystalline masses. This assemblage represents late-stage oxidation zone mineralization, forming at low temperatures under near-surface conditions. The paragenetic sequence exemplifies the complex supergene processes typical of the upper levels of the Tsumeb orebody.