Messina Mine, Musina, Musina Local Municipality, Vhembe District Municipality, Limpopo, South Africa (original) (raw)

Ajoite

Formula: (K,Na)Cu7AlSi9O24(OH)6 · 3H2O

Albite

Formula: Na(AlSi3O8)

Almandine

Formula: Fe2+3Al2(SiO4)3

Analcime

Formula: Na(AlSi2O6) · H2O

Anhydrite

Formula: CaSO4

Description: Crystals to 10 cm

'Apatite'

Formula: Ca5(PO4)3(Cl/F/OH)

Azurite

Formula: Cu3(CO3)2(OH)2

Baryte

Formula: BaSO4

Habit: Flattened orthorhombic

Colour: light beige to tan

Description: Often found coating secondary quartz crystals.

'Biotite'

Formula: K(Fe2+/Mg)2(Al/Fe3+/Mg/Ti)([Si/Al/Fe]2Si2O10)(OH/F)2

Bornite

Formula: Cu5FeS4

Brucite

Formula: Mg(OH)2

Description: Periodically found as attractive green lumps.

Calcite

Formula: CaCO3

Chalcanthite

Formula: CuSO4 · 5H2O

Chalcocite

Formula: Cu2S

Chalcopyrite

Formula: CuFeS2

'Chlorite Group'

Clausthalite

Formula: PbSe

Clinochlore

Formula: Mg5Al(AlSi3O10)(OH)8

Clinozoisite

Formula: (CaCa)(AlAlAl)O[Si2O7][SiO4](OH)

Copper

Formula: Cu

Cordierite

Formula: (Mg,Fe)2Al3(AlSi5O18)

Colour: Grey-blue, greenish.

Description: Occurs in most of the garnet-biotite-quartz rocks as anhedral grains containing numerous biotite inclusions. In hand specimens colour is grey-blue however in areas where hydrothermal alteration has occurred the mineral becomes greenish.

Covellite

Formula: CuS

Description: Considered very rare and restricted to zones of late hydrothermal activity. Covellite along with goethite are commonly developed in supergene replacement ores.

Cuprite

Formula: Cu2O

Colour: Red

Description: Cuprite as bright red inclusions with native copper has been qualitatively identified as copper oxide presumed cuprite (personal comment to author - Mineralogical Record 22(3)).

Digenite

Formula: Cu9S5

Description: Is found only as ex-solution lamellae in association with chalcocite and clausthalite.

Epidote

Formula: (CaCa)(AlAlFe3+)O[Si2O7][SiO4](OH)

Colour: Emerald-green to yellow-green & lime-green

Description: A common hydrothermal mineral in the ore lodes. They can partially coat the quartz or as isolated lath-like inclusions. It's been observed that light coloured apple-green variety associated with chlorite, calcite and albite is common in the Emery lode (Artonvilla mine). A second occurrence in the lower sections of the lode consists of bright lime-green to yellow-green crystals and have lower refractive index to the apple-green variety although both have been identified by x-ray analyses. Epidote fills vugs or is attached to quartz is usually less than 1cm length. Single crystals can reach over 5cm.

Goethite

Formula: α-Fe3+O(OH)

Colour: Reddish.

Description: Observed as the most common iron mineral in the more central sections of the orebodies, characterized by reddish colour in hand specimens.

Hematite

Formula: Fe2O3

'Hornblende Root Name Group'

Formula: ◻Ca2(Z2+4Z3+)(AlSi7O22)(OH,F,Cl)2

Kaolinite

Formula: Al2(Si2O5)(OH)4

Magnetite

Formula: Fe2+Fe3+2O4

Malachite

Formula: Cu2(CO3)(OH)2

Molybdenite

Formula: MoS2

Muscovite

Formula: KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2

Muscovite var. Fuchsite

Formula: K(Al,Cr)3Si3O10(OH)2

Muscovite var. Sericite

Formula: KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2

Papagoite

Formula: CaCu[H3AlSi2O9]

Description: Note: Colour alone is not indicative in identification between papagoite and shattuckite or in some cases ajoite (Debbie Woolf's conclusion after further discussions with author 25 years later).

Pennantite

Formula: Mn2+5Al(AlSi3O10)(OH)8

Piemontite

Formula: (CaCa)(AlAlMn3+)O[Si2O7][SiO4](OH)

Plancheite

Formula: Cu8(Si8O22)(OH)4 · H2O

Prehnite

Formula: Ca2Al2Si3O10(OH)2

Pyrite

Formula: FeS2

Pyrrhotite

Formula: Fe1-xS

Quartz

Formula: SiO2

Description: The following minerals have been observed as inclusions; Ajoite Azurite (rare) Bornite Calcite Chalcocite Chalcopyrite Chlorite Clinozoiste Copper Cuprite Epidote Hematite Kaolinite Malachite Muscovite Papagoite Pyrite Shattuckite Zoisite

Riebeckite

Formula: ◻[Na2][Fe2+3Fe3+2]Si8O22(OH)2

Shattuckite

Formula: Cu5(Si2O6)2(OH)2

Description: Note: Colour alone is not indicative in identification between shattuckite and papagoite or in some cases ajoite (Debbie Woolf's conclusion after further discussions with author 25 years later).

Sphalerite

Formula: ZnS

Talc

Formula: Mg3Si4O10(OH)2

Zoisite

Formula: (CaCa)(AlAlAl)O[Si2O7][SiO4](OH)