Okurusu Flourite

The Okurusu Flourite mine is the oldest Fluorite mine in Namibia, and has been mined on and off since the colonial times. The mine has always been considered marginal, with problems arising from the seperation of Fluorite and Quartz. Indeed, many of the specimens available online nowadays have been treated with HF, a nasty acid known to dissolve Quartz.

The deposit is hosted in the metasediments of the Swakop Group, with the Fluorite deposited as a replacement in the dolostone, and as vein-infill.

Mineral specimens from the deposit range from dark greenish-blue to rarer deep purples, with light green and yellow examples also documented.

In shallow pockets, specimens are often coated with Chalcedony, and in deeper pockets Goethite - A very easy way to tell if your specimen was a near surface find or not! Pyrite and Apatite have also been found at Okurusu, but are considered exceedingly rare.