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Malachite
Current inventory:  0 gems
 

Malachite

Chemistry:  Cu2(CO3)(OH)2  [Copper Carbonate Hydroxide]

Discovery: Prehistoric;   IMA status: Valid (pre-IMA; Grandfathered).
Malachite gets its name f
rom the Greek word, malache, meaning mallow, a green herb, in reference to green leaf color.

 

Classification

   

   

Mineral Classification:

Carbonates

Strunz 8th Ed. ID:

5/C.01-20

Nickel-Strunz 10th Ed. ID:

5.BA.10

 

5 : CARBONATES (NITRATES)
B : Carbonates with additional anions, without H
2O
A : With Cu, Co, Ni, Zn, Mg, Mn

Related to:

Azurite - Rosasite Group and related compounds

 

 

Crystal Data

   

   

Crystallography:

Monoclinic - Prismatic

Crystal Habit:

Crystals are acicular to prismatic, thick tabular, equant, several other forms, rounded, in sprays and crude composite aggregates, to 9 cm; typically stalactitic, mammillary, botryoidal, as such, radially fibrous internally.

Twinning:

Untwinned crystals are extremely rare. Typically twinned on [100], sometimes as penetration or polysynthetic twinning.

 

 

Physical Properties

   

 

Cleavage:

[201] Perfect, [010] Fair

Fracture:

Subconchoidal to Uneven

Tenacity:

Brittle

Moh's Hardness:

3.5 - 4.0

Density:

3.60 - 4.05 (g/cm3)

Luminescence:

None

Radioactivity:

Not Radioactive

Other:

Very slightly soluble in water containing CO2

 

 

Optical Properties

   

   

Color:

Bright Green, Green, Dark green, Blackish green

Transparency:

Transparent to Subtranslucent to Opaque

Luster:

Adamantine or Vitreous in crystals, Silky if fibrous, Dull or Earthy if massive

Refractive Index:

1.655 - 1.909  Biaxial ( - )

Birefringence:

0.2540

Dispersion:

Relatively weak; r < v

Pleochroism:

X = nearly colorless; Y = yellowish green; Z = deep green.

 

 

Occurances

   

   

Geological Setting:

A common secondary mineral formed in the oxidation zone of copper deposits; locally may be an ore of copper.

Common Associations:

Aurichalite, Atacamite, Azurite, Brochantite, Calcite, Chalcedony, Chrysocolla, Cuprite, Limonite, Tenorite, Wad

Type Locality:

n/a; Prehistoric

Discovery:

Prehistoric

View mineral photos:

Malachite Mineral Photos and Locations

 

 

More Information

   

   

 

Mindat.org
Webmineral.com

 

 


Malachite is one of the most popular semi-precious or decorative stones and has been for many years. This is due to its beautiful, patterned bands of light and dark green, its availability and relatively low cost. It has been used in jewelry from the southwest as a beautiful accent or combined with
Turquoise or Azurite. It is popular as mounted cabochons, pendants, beads, sculptures, boxes and can even be turned on a lathe to make goblets and candlesticks. Facetable crystals are extremely small since larger ones are too opaque. Malachite occurs in the oxidized portions of copper ore with Azurite and Cuprite. Malachite is available from many sources worldwide including Bisbee and Gila in Arizona, USA; New Mexico and Utah, USA; Zambia; Broken Hill, N.S.W., Australia; Tsumeb, Namibia; Nizhne-Tagilsk, Zaire; and immense masses up to 50 tons from Mednorudyansk, Russia.
 

  
Malachite gems for sale:

We have not photographed our Malachite gems yet. Please check back soon!
 

 

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