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Galloplumbogummite & Gallite

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SKY645274

Galloplumbogummite & Gallite

Type Locality

Description Tabs

Description
Locality: 
Tsumeb Mine, Otavi Highlands, Namibia
Class: 
Crystals on Matrix
Size Range: 
Thumbnail (1-3cm)
Size: 
1.7 × 1 × 0.7 cm
Description

White crystals of the extremely rare Gallium-Germanium new mineral galloplumbogummite (IMA 2010-088) from Tsumeb, the type and the only known locality worldwide. The specimen has a lot of microcrystals of white galloplumbogummite, associated to minoritary cleavages of silvery metallic gallite (another gallium mineral)

Galloplumbogummite is one of the great rarities of Tsumeb, and one the most sought after species from the locality. Only two of 5500 known minerals have at the same time Gallium and Germanium in its chemical composition, this one is one of the two (the other, krieselite, also from Tsumeb). In addition, only 8 gallium mineral species exists, so this specimen has two of them !.

Analyzed specimen, see copy of the analysis and photos SEM included in the Analysis section..

For an abstract of the discovery of the new mineral please see the recent issue of Lapis: Lapis Jg.40, Nr.3, March 2015 p.38.

Mineral Data
What's on the rock

Galloplumbogummite

Formula: 
Pb(Ga,Al)3-xGexH1-x(PO4)2(OH)6 for 0 ≤ x ≤ 1
Hardness: 
0.0
Type Locality: 
Tsumeb Mine (Tsumcorp Mine), Tsumeb, Otjikoto Region (Oshikoto), Namibia

Gallite

Formula: 
CuGaS2
Strunz: 
2.CB.10a
Hardness: 
3.0 - 3.5
Colour: 
Grey
Type Locality: 
Kipushi Mine (Prince Léopold Mine), Kipushi, Katanga (Shaba), Democratic Republic of Congo (Zaïre)

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