Malachite

specimen number:
2063733

location:
Kelly mine, Socorro Co., New Mexico, USA

description:
Chatoyant green sprays of malachite crystals to 0.6 cm in diameter on matrix. Good reference quality example for the species at this famous locality. The specimen comes with a previous label from the collection of Ray DeMark. He collected the piece around 1973.

Located in the Magdalena Mining District of Socorro County, New Mexico, the Kelly Mine is one of the most famous mineral localities in North America. Settled in the late nineteenth century after the initial discovery of silver and lead ores in 1866, the site underwent extensive underground development to harvest rich metal deposits formed within replacement veins in Mississippian limestone. Hydrothermal fluids altering the carbonate hosts created exceptional secondary mineral zones that made the mine world-renowned among collectors. The location is especially celebrated for yielding what are widely considered the finest smithsonite specimens ever recovered, characterized by vivid sky-blue to blue-green botryoidal crusts and silky luster. Mining activity diminished significantly by the mid-twentieth century, but the Kelly Mine remains an iconic name in American mineralogy for its historic ore production and legendary museum-quality cabinet specimens.

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