Detailed information
Dimensions
64 x 107 x 40
mm
Weight
354 g
Locality
Mashamba West Mine Kolwezi mining district Lualaba, DR Congo
Condition
No recorded repairs
A fine example of a Malachite stalactite from Mashamba West mine in the Kolwezi mining district of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Since this mine began operations in 1978 it has become a modern day classic for many of its world-class minerals and this habit of Malachite is one of its most famous. Measuring 10.7 cm tall, an alternating mixture of minty emerald to bottle green Malachite forms a knobbly column with two much smaller adjacent columns in parallel. It is presumed to be a stalactite rather than a stalagmite as such morphology must more readily develop act with the assistance of gravity. The base has been sawn flat enabling the specimen to stand vertically. In the base and half way up one side, the characteristic concentric internal structure of the Malachite is nicely displayed.
