Ajoite

specimen number:
2063214

location:
New Cornelia Mine, Ajo, Pima Co., Arizona, USA

description:
An excellent example for the species, sky-blue acicular crystals of micro ajoite covering an area across the front of this matrix approximately 2.5 x 1.5 cm in size. In good condition; the fracture seen in the matrix is stable. The specimen comes with a previous label from the collection of Ray DeMark.

The New Cornelia Mine in Ajo, Pima County, Arizona, is a historic open-pit copper mine situated within a rich porphyry copper deposit formed during early Cenozoic volcanic and intrusive activity. Gold, silver, and abundant secondary copper minerals were generated through extensive hydrothermal alteration and subsequent weathering of the parent rock. Mining began in the mid-1800s and expanded into a major commercial open-pit operation in the early 1900s, operating until its closure in the 1980s. The site is famous among mineral collectors as the type locality for ajoite, a rare blue-green hydrated sodium potassium copper aluminum silicate mineral that was first discovered here in 1941.

Questions about this specimen?
Send an email or call us: 314-341-1811.