This article was originally published by The-Vug.com in January, 2016.

The-Vug.com brings you this article about Radiocative Boltwoodite from Goanikontes, Namibia, Africa

Classic Radioactive Mineral Localities;
Boltwoodite from Goanikontes, Namibia, Africa

By Justin Zzyzx

Boltwoodite is a Uranium mineral that is only found in a handful of locations worldwide. The location that produces the very best material in the world is a ditch in the desolate moon landscape of Goanikontes Namibia.

Goanikontes Namibia – No better place to practice the moonwalk on earth.

The bright yellow crystals occur on a matrix of dogtooth Calcite crystals and often coated completely by Gypsum. The location also has the distinction of having specimens sold as originating from a mine a few dozen miles away. Desclozite crystals from Berg Aukus are often sold as being from the much more popular Tsumeb location; in much the same way, Goanikontes Boltwoodite is often sold as being from the Rossing Uranium mine, some 60km away. While Rossing does produce Boltwoodite, none of them are as fine as the breathtaking specimens from Goanikontes.

The location is only a trench, blasted into the crease of the rugged mountain landscape, refered to as “The Moon Landscape”. The granite outcrops of this barren wasteland serve as the landscape of many desolate science fiction movies and have served as the background for the training in the aerospace field.

To the south of Goanikontes the magnificent sand dunes surround the flamingo feeding grounds of Swakopmund. Emptying into the beach flows an underground river which supplies a remarkable site, an oasis in the middle of one of the most inhospitable locations in the world! Perhaps this first hand account of a voyage to this location in the 1990’s by an anonymous traveler would best describe it…

We had just concluded part of our trip to Swakopmund when we had decided to search for the Boltwoodite location just for fun. We had only found a few scraps of the material in the rockshops and dealers we had been visiting and we both wanted to see the location.

Driving into the area was surreal, as the first view of Goanikontes is from the top of a crest, looking down into the valley. If only we could lower the gravity around there, it would be just like walking on the moon! We stopped at a few road cuts looking for signs of any mineralization, but after the first couple spots we started to lose hope. How could you possibly find a site so small in a place so barren? As we drove further into the valley we were shocked to see wonderful large Palm trees, a fantastic change from the stark beige rocky landscape. It turns out that this oasis is home to a vast farm, uncommon in much of arid Namibia.

As luck would have it, it being Easter weekend, the owners of the farm were in town, leaving the help with a day off. Two of the workers were lounging about and enjoying a day off, with their wives off at market. We inquired with them if they knew were any blasting was going on and they offered to go with us there. They loaded up some hand tools and in a few moments we were off, leading down faint tracks in the middle of nowhere. The location was no more than a scratch into the mountain side and with the help of our two guides we set about attacking the wall. The first thing that we noted was the fantastic hardness of the matrix rock. We had pulled off some host rock, revealed some pockets, but this was not the type of rock that would lend itself to letting it’s pockets go easily. With this in mind we gave up on the deposit itself and resorted to searching the dump material. After about an hour we had collected about 2 flats of some nice material. Certainly nothing like the ones I had seen in Tucson in 95, but still, not bad for just taking a shot in the dark!

Boltwoodite from this location forms in sprays, sometimes with crystals as large as 15mm in size. The striking material from here is by far the best examples of this material found in the world.

The deposits also yields Calcite and Gypsum, however no other minerals have been identified as of yet. The Calcite is often found lining the cavities with dogtooth crystals, mostly of a honey brown to near black color. The Boltwoodite can be found perched on top of the Calcite crystals or commonly included inside the Calcite crystals. In addition, Gypsum formed after most larger clusters of Boltwoodite, covering the first generation, but the smaller second formation of Boltwoodite is often on the outside of the Gypsum layer. Being as how these are the finest examples in the world of this rare brightly colored mineral, the best of species sell for several thousand dollars, with small cabinet specimens running in the multiple hundreds.

While the largest working Uranium mine in Africa lies only a short distance away, the specimens from Goanikontes look much differently than their much more homely brethren from the Rossing Mine.

However, since the Rossing Mine is so much more well known, many fine Goanikontes specimens are labeled incorrectly. It is highly unlikely that a location as fine as Goanikontes will ever be found, securing this spot in mineral history.

Copyright 2007 Justin Zzyzx