Duftite Mineral

Hey dear Hive community, I hope you had an exciting day so far that has brought some experiences into your life! In my new post, I would like to present a mineral and hope you can expand your knowledge.

Earlier I photographed these two specimens of the mineral Duftite, which is a rare lead-copper arsenate in the chemical composition and one of these minerals is grown together with Agardite. The first specimens were found in Namibia in the well-known Tsumeb mine and typical places of discovery are oxidation zones of copper-containing deposits so it is often found together with other copper-containing minerals. Who first mentioned the mineral in writing was the mineralogist Otto Pufahl (1855 - 1924) who had decided to honor Gustav Duft who was the head of the former Otavi mine, which is located near the Tsumeb mine. The appearance can vary and the crystals are often only of very small size and can take on green, brown or yellow shades and a typical characteristic is that it has a surface that is somewhat reminiscent of a crust or has a glass-like appearance. The occurrence varies depending on the location and among the best known are in addition to Namibia also Greece, Spain, USA, Germany or England. From an economic point of view, despite the content of copper and lead, it is rather unpopular as an ore and particularly interesting in the circles of collectors and also in research, there are some approaches where Duftite is used.

Thanks a lot for stopping by and I hope you could learn something new about minerals! I captured these pictures with my Camera Sony Alpha 6000 plus 55-210 mm lens!