Azurite

specimen number:
2063265

location:
Northwest Extension, Morenci Mine, Greenlee Co., Arizona, USA

description:
Attractive deep blue bladed crystals of azurite measuring to 1.3 cm in size quite rich and attractive across the top of a botryoidal malachite matrix. This is in very good condition. The specimen comes with a previous label from the collection of Ray DeMark. He collected the piece on September 5, 1992.

The Northwest Extension is a major section of the giant Morenci open-pit porphyry copper deposit located in Greenlee County, Arizona. Geologically, the ore body consists of primary copper-molybdenum mineralization hosted within Paleocene to Eocene porphyry intrusions and surrounding Paleozoic sedimentary rock units. Over time, weathering and fluid leaching created rich secondary enrichment zones near the surface containing oxide and sulfide minerals, including notable deposits of copper minerals and turquoise. Historically, mining in the Morenci district began with small-scale underground operations in the 1870s before evolving into large open-pit mining under the management of Phelps Dodge and later Freeport-McMoRan. While active open-pit mining operations restrict general field collecting on the property, specimens from the site, such as azurite, malachite, turquoise, and chrysocolla, are highly prized among mineral collectors.

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