This category brings together a selection of minerals from the Congo region, mainly from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), but also from the Republic of the Congo. It includes dioptase, chrysocolla, malachite, carrollite, kolwezite, cobaltocalcite and various mineral associations displaying a wide range of colours.
The Congo minerals currently available are displayed a little further down this page, with their videos and photos.
Congo minerals: dioptase, chrysocolla, malachite and other species
The selection includes dioptase with green crystals, chrysocolla with blue to blue-green colours and malachite, sometimes associated with each other or with other minerals. Other species represented include carrollite, kolwezite, cobaltocalcite, conichalcite and aurichalcite.
Some specimens feature particularly interesting associations, such as chrysocolla with malachite, carrollite with calcite, or kolwezite on quartz. This diversity reflects the mineralogical richness of the different Congolese localities represented in the category.
DRC and Republic of the Congo: Kolwezi, Lualaba and Mindouli
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, several specimens come from the south of the country, particularly the Kolwezi area in the present-day province of Lualaba. This region forms part of the Congolese section of the Central African Copperbelt, an important mining region characterized by major copper and cobalt mineralization. Weathering of these deposits has favoured the formation of numerous secondary minerals and distinctive mineral associations.
The Republic of the Congo is also represented by dioptase specimens from Mindouli, in the Pool Department. This mineral locality is particularly known for its copper mineralization and dioptase crystals, sometimes associated with other copper-bearing minerals.
