Cuprite with Malachite (?)

specimen number:
2062888

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

description:
A sharp octahedral crystal of cuprite 0.5 cm in size on matrix. This is coated by what is possibly green malachite. In good condition. The specimen comes with a previous label from the collection of Ray DeMark.

The Morenci Mine, located in Greenlee County, Arizona, is one of the oldest and largest copper-producing operations in North America, with mining history dating back to the late 1860s and early 1870s following initial discoveries by pioneers like Army Captain Willcox and the subsequent involvement of the Lezinsky brothers. Geologically, the deposit is a massive porphyry copper system centered on intrusive monzonite porphyry cutting through Precambrian granite and Paleozoic sedimentary rocks, where extensive supergene enrichment created vast blanket deposits of copper ores. Historically, operations transitioned from early underground high-grade extraction to massive open-pit mining and modern heap leaching, turning Morenci into a cornerstone of the American copper industry and a notable producer of fine secondary copper mineral specimens.

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