“Rich country, but poor”, some of the unknown minerals of the DR Congo; zairite, kipushite, kivuite, likasite, kolwezite…
NEWSECONOMY
“Rich country, but poor”, some of the unknown minerals of the DR Congo; zairite, kipushite, kivuite, likasite, kolwezite…
July 26, 2023
Kiki Kienge
By Kiki Kienge
The DR Congo, a rich but poor country, more than a certain "curse of natural resources", I would speak of a lack of intellectual and ethical awareness of Congolese man, but above all of the avarice of its leaders, in in short, it is the Congolese's lack of Congolity that is killing the Congo.
The Democratic Republic of Congo, is one of the largest territories in the world which abounds in many riches in its basement, its current mining exploration would only reach less than 50% of the riches which abound in the country of Lumumba.
Mining country par excellence, the minerals of the DR Congo are often concentrated in the South-East and North-East of the country, largely exploited in Greater Katanga, Greater Kivu and Greater Kasai. But according to experts, the entire territory of the DR Congo is covered with minerals of all kinds yet to be discovered.
It should be noted that the country, apart from the known and exploited ores (copper, cobalt, gold, diamond, coltan, lithium, manganese, tin, zinc, silver, uranium, lead, cadmium, tantalum, tungsten, manganese…) the DR Congo notably has a large number of minerals almost unknown to the Congolese and breads from the area, which are still more untapped.
We are talking about the deposits of about fifty discovered minerals, but only a dozen are exploited for the moment.
A country with all the potential to be a world power, which for 63 years has had serious difficulties in developing economically and socially, with more than 80% of the population living on less than US$1.9 a day.
Wealth of which only less than 5% of the population, authorities, politicians and courtiers who sell them off to foreigners for their personal enrichment.
MINERALS DESCRIBED FOR THE FIRST TIME IN DR CONGO
ALTHUPITE: Piret and Deliens, 1987 Kobokobo, Kivu
ANDREMEYERITE: Sahama and Hytönen, 1973 Volcanoes of Kivu
ANTHOINITE: Varlamoff, 1947 Kalima, Kivu
ASTROCYANITE-(Ce): Deliens and Piret, 1990 East Kamoto, Katanga
BECQUERELITE: Schoep, 1922 Shinkolobwe, Katanga
BIJVOETITE-(Y): Deliens and Piret, 1982 Shinkolobwe, Katanga
BILLIETITE: Vaes, 1947 Shinkolobwe, Katanga
BRIARTITE: Francotte et al, 1965 Kipushi, Katanga
BUTTGENBACHITE: Schoep, 1925 Likasi, Katanga
CATTIERITE: Kerr, 1945 Shinkolobwe, Katanga
CLARINGBULLITE: Fejer et al, 197 Kambove, Katanga
COMBEITE: Sahama and Hytönen, 1957 Volcanoes of Kivu
COMBLAINITE: Piret and Deliens, 1980 Shinkolobwe, Katanga
CORNETITE: Buttgenbach, 1917 Etoile mine, Katanga
CUPROSKLODOWSKITE: Vaes, 1933 Shinkolobwe, Katanga
CURITY: Schoep, 1921 Shinkolobwe, Katanga
DELHAYELITE: Sahama and Hytönen, 1959 Volcanoes of Kivu
DEMESMAEKERITE: Cesbron et al, 1965 Musonoi, Katanga
DERRIKSITE: Cesbron et al, 1971 Musonoi, Katanga
DEWINDTITE: Schoep, 1922 Shinkolobwe, Katanga
DUMONTITE: Schoep, 1924 Shinkolobwe, Katanga
EYLETTERSITE: Van Wambeke, 1972 Kobokobo, Kivu
FOURMARIERITE: Buttgenbach, 1924 Shinkolobwe, Katanga
FRANCOISITE-(Nd): Piret et al, 1988 East, Katanga
GÖTZENITE: Sahama and Hytönen, 1957 Volcanoes of Kivu
GUILLEMINITE: Pierrot et al, 1965 Musonoi, Katanga
GYSINITE-(Nd): Sarp and Bertrand, 1985 Kasompi, Katanga
HETEROGENITY-2H: Deliens and Goethals, 1973 Mindigi, Katanga
IANTHINITE: Schoep, 1926 Shinkolobwe, Katanga
JULIENITE: Schoep, 1928 Shamitumba, Katanga
KALIPYROCHLORE: Van Wambeke, 1965 Lueshe, Kivu
KAMITUGAITE: Deliens and Piret, 1984 Kipushi, Kivu
KAMOTOITE-(Y): Deliens and Piret, 1986 Kamoto East, Katanga
KASOLITE: Schoep, 1921 Shinkolobwe, Katanga
KIPUSHITE: Piret et al, 1985 Kipushi, Katanga
KIRSCHTEINITE: Sahama and Hytönen, 1957 Volcanoes of Kivu
KIVUITE: Van Wambeke, 1958 Kobokobo, Kivu
KOLWEZITE: Deliens and Piret, 1980 Kolwezi, Katanga
LEPERSONNITE-(Gd): Deliens and Piret, 1982 Shinkolobwe, Katanga
LIKASITE: Schoep et al, 1955 Likasi, Katanga
LUBEROITE: Jedwab et al, 1992 Lubero, Kivu
LUDJIBAITE: Piret and Deliens, 1988 Ludjiba, Katanga
LUESHITE: Safiannikoff, 1959 Lueshe, Kivu
MARTHOZITE: Cesbron et al, 1969 Musonoi, Katanga
MASUYITE: Vaes, 1947 Shinkolobwe, Katanga
METASALEEITE: Mrose, 1950 Shinkolobwe, Katanga
METASTUDTITY: Deliens and Piret, 1983 Shinkolobwe, Katanga
METAVANMEERSSCHEITE: Piret and Deliens, 1982 Kobokobo, Kivu
MOREAUITE: Deliens and Piret, 1985 Kobokobo, Kivu
MUNDITE: Deliens and Piret, 1981 Kobokobo, Kivu
OOSTERBOSCHITE: Johan et al, 1970 Musonoi, Katanga
OURSINITE: Deliens and Piret, 1983 Shinkolobwe, Katanga
PARASCHOEPITE: Schoep and Stradiot, 1947 Shinkolobwe, Katanga
PARSONSITE: Schoep, 1923 Shinkolobwe, Katanga
PHURALUMITE: Deliens and Piret, 1979 Kobokobo, Kivu
PIRETITE: Vochten et al, 1997 Shinkolobwe, Katanga
RANKAMAITE: Von Knorring et al, 1969 Mumba, Kivu
RANUNCULITY: Deliens and Piret, 1979 Kobokobo, Kivu
RENIERITE: Vaes, 1948 Kipushi,
RICHETITY: Vaes, 1947 Shinkolobwe, Katanga
ROUBAULTITE: Cesbron et al, 1970 Shinkolobwe, Katanga
SALEEITE: Thoreau and Vaes, 1932 Shinkolobwe, Katanga
SAYRIT; Piret and Deliens, 1983 Shinkolobwe, Katanga
SCHOEPITE: Walker, 1923 Shinkolobwe, Katanga
SCHUILINGITE-(Nd): Vaes, 1947 Kasompi, Katanga
SEELITE: Bariand et al, 1993 Shinkolobwe, Katanga
SENGIERITE: Vaes and Kerr, 1949 Musonoi, Katanga
SHABAITE-(Nd): Deliens and Piret, 1989 Kamoto East, Katanga
SHARPITE: Melon, 1935 Shinkolobwe, Katanga
SKLODOWSKITE: Schoep, 1924 Shinkolobwe, Katanga
SODDYITE: Schoep, 1922 Shinkolobwe, Katanga
STUDTITE: Vaes, 1947 Shinkolobwe, Katanga
SWAMBOITE: Deliens and Piret, 1981 Swaambo, Katanga
THOREAULITE: Buttgenbach, 1933 Manono, Katanga
THREADGOLDITE: Deliens and Piret, 1979 Kobokobo, Kivu
TRIANGULITY: Deliens and Piret, 1982 Kobokobo, Kivu
TRIKALSILITE: Sahama and Smith, 1957 Kabfumo, Kivu
UPALITY: Deliens and Piret, 1979 Kobokobo, Kivu
URANCALCARITE: Deliens and Piret, 1984 Shinkolobwe, Katanga
VAESITE: Kerr, 1943 Kasompi, Katanga
VANDENBRANDEITE: Schoep, 1932 Kalongwe, Katanga
VANDENDRIESSCHEITE: Vaes, 1947 Shinkolobwe, Katanga
VANMEERSSCHEITE: Piret and Deliens, 1982 Kobokobo, Kivu
VARLAMOFFITE By: Dycker, 1947 Kalima, Kivu
WAKEFIELDITE-(Ce): Deliens and Piret, 1977 Kusu, Bas-Congo
WYARTITE: Guillemin and Protas, 1959 Shinkolobwe, Katanga
ZAIRITE: Van Wambeke, 1975 Etaetu, Kivu
Zaïrite is a phosphate mineral with the chemical formula Bi(Fe3+,Al)3[(OH)6| ( PO4)2], the mineral was first described in the in the north of the province of Kivu, in the Republic Democratic Republic of the Congo (then Zaire), usually in zones of alteration of quartz wolframite deposits where it occurs with native bismuth, bismutite, quartz and mica.
Gatherite is a rare copper-zinc - germanium sulphide mineral with the chemical formula (Cu,Zn)11(Ge,As)2Fe4S16. It is found at Kipushi Mine , Democratic Republic of the Congo; and Namibia, among others.