Azurite crystals with malachite "bowtie", Bisbee, Cochise County, Arizona, USA; 4.1 cm across

Azurite crystals with malachite "bowtie", Bisbee, Cochise County, Arizona, USA; 4.1 cm across

Azurite with malachite is among the most recognized species combinations in the Mineral Kingdom. Both are hydrated copper carbonates that are approximately 70% copper. Malachite rarely forms eye visible crystals but often pseudomorphs azurite crystals. A pseudomorph takes the form of one species but the chemistry of the replacing species. All azurite will eventually chemically alter to malachite if given long enough. Malachite also commonly occurs as stalactites, stalagmites or botryoidal masses. Eye visible primary malachite crystals only occur at a few localities around the world including The Mashamba West Mine, near Kolwezi, Katanga Proviince, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Tsumeb, Namibia. Azurite rarely forms stalactites but is more likely to occur as crystals.

Bisbee, Arizona is one of the world’s greatest polymetallic deposits that was mostly mined for copper. Bisbee produced some of the world”s greatest specimens of azurite. The miniature azurite with malachite presented in this video was formerly in the renowned Arizona collection of Evan Jones of Phoenix, Arizona.