Torbernite / Cuprosklodowskite — Musonoi Mine, Kolwezi, Katanga, DRC Massive Collector Piece — Secondary Uranium Minerals

The Musonoi Mine at Kolwezi has produced some of the most visually striking secondary uranium mineralogy ever documented, and the association of torbernite and cuprosklodowskite represents two distinct branches of the uranium alteration sequence sharing the same hand sample. Torbernite — the vivid emerald-green copper uranyl phosphate — is among the most visually arresting uranium minerals in existence and has been a centrepiece of serious uranium mineral collections since the earliest days of the hobby. Cuprosklodowskite adds a second copper-uranium silicate phase to the piece, a species that is both scientifically interesting and less commonly encountered than its phosphate counterpart.

This is a small massive collector piece — unpretentious in size but entirely respectable in content. Musonoi material has become increasingly difficult to source as conditions in Katanga have shifted over the years, and good association pieces represent both a collecting and a scientific reference value.

Sold as a mineral specimen for collection and display purposes. Standard handling precautions for uranium-bearing minerals apply.

Approx. specimen size: 30mm x 25mm x 20mm

Approx. specimen weight: 21.91 grams

Approx. specimen activity on an SE International Ranger EXP: 62 000 CPM