Mottramite on Calcite

The lead-copper vanadate Mottramite was encountered early in the mine’s history in the supergene ores.  As mining progressed ever deeper at Tsumeb, Mottramite remained throughout and was richly encountered in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Oxidation Zones.  This choice thumbnail is built from a tight cluster of Calcite crystals of up to 1.5 cm across and subsequently coated with a velvet-like layer of leafy pistachio-green Mottramite forming as sub-mm crystals.  Around the interface of the Mottramite and Calcite is a thin, perhaps 0.5 mm, band of a chocolate-brown metallic fibrous mineral.  A charming thumbnail Mottramite on Calcite mounted on a small square acrylic base.