3.1" Vivid Azurite on Malachite With Quartz - Morocco

This specimen mainly displays incredibly blue azurite, along with aggregations of vivid green malachite, all coating small quartz crystals. Most of this specimens azurite formed in botryoidal fashion, while the malachite mainly formed with fan-like projections. On the opposite side of the specimen from the main malachite, azurite, and quartz associations, shiny fibrous azurite crystals envelop the iron oxide and copper rich matrix, beneath.

Azurite and malachite are known to form in union with each other since their chemical makeup is very similar. In fact, the presence of more or less water in the location of formation is enough to determine whether an abundance of malachite over azurite, or vise-versa, will accumulate.

These minerals tend to be found near copper deposits, which accounts for the vibrant colors the minerals display. This association of azurite and malachite on copper-rich, iron oxide matrix was found near M'Cissi, Alnif, Tinghir Province, Souss-Massa-Draâ Region, Morocco.
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DETAILS
SPECIES
Malachite with Azurite
LOCATION
Morocco
SIZE
3.1" long, 2.2" long
CATEGORY
ITEM
#38584