and
azurite due to inclusions of
cuprite Tsumeb is a world-famous site for minerals. In the district, 309 different minerals are recorded and the area hosts 72
type localities of minerals and one first reported locality of an unapproved mineral,
zinclavendulan, a variety of
lavendulan. The minerals
arsentsumebite (Pb2Cu(AsO4)(SO4)(OH)) and
tsumebite (Pb2Cu(PO4)(SO4)(OH)) are named after Tsumeb. Targets for mineral exploration have been identified throughout the stratigraphic column. Metamorphic complexes host a variety of prospective environments such as
copper-
molybdenum porphyry, volcanic base metals and gold,
volcanogenic copper, sedimentary
lead and
zinc,
fluorite,
shear zone gold, and
beryllium-
niobium-
tantalum mineralization. Paleoproterozoic to Mesoproterozoic rocks locally contain extensive
red bed copper, while calc-alkaline units of the same age have potential for porphyry and hydrothermal copper, as well as vein-type gold mineralization. Namibia is one of the major producers of
diamonds, 95% of which are of gem quality. The bulk of the countryʼs known diamonds occur along the southern coastline, north of the
Orange River mouth. The diamonds originated in the interior of southern Africa and were transported by the Orange River to the Atlantic coast, where they were deposited within beach sediments. Almost the entire coastline is covered by exploration and mining licenses. Offshore mining techniques have been pioneered in Namibia and the country has firmly been established as the world leader in marine diamond mining. Inland, in the vicinity of
Gibeon, 60 barren pipes of
kimberlite of post-Karoo age have been identified. The northeast of the country also hosts some kimberlites, which are currently being explored for their diamond potential. The main occurrences of gold are in the
Karibib and Rehoboth regions, the
Omaruru area and the
Kunene region.
Silver is present in several deposits mined principally for their copper, lead and zinc contents. It is found in the ore bodies of
Tsumeb,
Kombat and
Rosh Pinah mines. Graphitic deposits in the Damara Sequence, calcrete hosted deposits of the Tertiary and sedimentary deposits in
sandstones of the Karoo Supergroup, are the three major types of uranium hosting lithologies in Namibia. The deposits at
Rössing and
Valencia are of granitic origin. In the mid-2000s, Rössing was the countryʼs only producer of
uranium. Major base metal production in Namibia includes copper, lead and zinc. Large-scale mining of base metals, especially copper, plays an important role in the economy of the country. Copper occurs at several locations, but is dominated by the Damara deposits: Otavi Mountainland (including the defunct Tsumeb Mine) and the
Matchless Amphibolite Belt of the
Swakop Group. Minor amounts come from Rosh Pinah. A feasibility study of the Skorpion zinc project has confirmed that Skorpion could rank as one of the worldʼs largest integrated zinc mining and refining operations.
Haib, at the border with South Africa, is a classic porphyry copper-gold-molybdenum deposit featuring oxide and sulphide copper with a predominance of
chalcopyrite in the sulphide ores. Salt is recovered on a large scale from coastal solar evaporation pans in the
Swakopmund and
Walvis Bay areas, and at
Cape Cross. The Okorusu Fluorspar Mine produces high quality acid-grade fluorspar. The Okanjande graphite deposit near
Otjiwarongo is composed of high quality flake graphite, but the mine has not yet gone into operation. Wollastonite is produced in the
Usakos area. Namibia also produces a variety of semi-precious stones through both small and
medium-scale mining.
tourmaline,
aquamarine,
heliodor,
morganite,
rose quartz,
smoky quartz,
garnet,
chrysocolla and
dioptase are quarried in various parts of the country.
Marble, granite and other dimension stone for export or local processing are produced between Swakopmund and Karibib.
Petroleum geology The Namibian Atlantic margin is
conjugate with the Pelotas Basin of
Rio Grande do Sul and northeastern
Uruguay. Both basins are compared to their northern counterparts, for the
Walvis Basin in Namibia the
Kwanza Basin of
Angola, and for the Pelotas Basin the
Santos Basin of
Brazil, underexplored. Apart from the discovery of the offshore
Kudu Gas Field, exploration intersected oil-prone source rocks in boreholes, of merely five wells until 2004. The Walvis Basin is bound by the
Walvis Ridge, which formed a barrier in the opening of the Southern Atlantic in the
Aptian leading to
salt basins to the north and basins without
evaporite deposits to the south. The ridge, in South America correlated with the Rio Grande Rise, both related with the
Tristan da Cunha hotspot, also represents the boundary between volcanic and non-volcanic areas to the south and north respectively.
Cenomanian-
Turonian oil-prone
source rocks have been penetrated by wells in the Walvis Basin. Namibia imports all its power station requirements. A large low-grade
coalfield was found near
Aranos, at depths of . Large, low-grade
anthracite coal deposits are located along the coastline between the Huab River and
Toscanini. Industrial mineral production in Namibia includes salt,
fluorspar,
wollastonite and dimension stone. == Geological sites ==