• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
• /
• v.23 no.4
• /
• pp.305-313
• /
• 2010

Mineralogical characteristics of Cu-Co ores from the Central African Copperbelt in the Democratic Repblic of Congo are studied using powder X-ray diffractometer, general area detector X-ray diffractometer, and electron proble microanalyzer. Black ores are mainly composed of heterogenite (cobalt oxide/hydroxide mineral) and malachite (copper carbonate mineral), whereas green ores are only composed of malachite. Heterogenite shows very bright white color under the reflected microscope, and belongs to 3R polytype, because it has d-spacings at $4.39{\AA}$ and $2.316{\AA}$. Since NiO and $Fe_20_3$ content of heterogenite are lower than those of 3R polytype from other localities, it cannot completely exclude the presence of 2H polytype in heterogenite from this study. Malachite is light grey color under the reflected microscope with approximate chemical formula of $Cu_{1.97}Co_{0.02}Fe^{2+}{_{0.01}}CO_3(OH)_2$. Heterogenite and malachite were probably formed at the supergene emichment stage, the last mineralization stage in the Central African Copperbelt. Cobalt seems to be much more emiched in the black supergene (oxy)hydroxide ore than those in the primary sulfide ore.