Dendrites and Chrysocolla
 
Locality: Tenke Mine, Lualaba, Democratic Republic of Congo
 
Specimen size: Large Cabinet
Size: 136 mm x 108 mm
Weight: 860 grams
 
An interesting specimen from the DRC of Manganese Dendrites, there is also Malachite and Hetergenite present on the matrix.
 
Manganese Dendrites are thin, branching (fern-like) crystals that grew on a surface or in a rock or mineral. They are often found in cracks or along bedding planes as in this specimen. These dendrites are usually a variety of a manganese oxide.
 
Chrysocolla normally has a light blue to cyan (blue-green) color and is a minor ore of copper. It is secondary mineral that forms in the oxidation zones of copper ore bodies.
 
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), previously known as Zaire, is a large central African country known to produce some of the most amazing Copper, Uranium and Cobalt minerals, to mention only a few.