Malachite after Azurite

specimen number:
2063352

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

description:
Very fine for this locality, this a double terminated crystal of what was once azurite sent with a small amount of attached breccia matrix. Aesthetically arranged, the azurite is completely replaced by chatoyant attractive crystallized green malachite. Very sharp small miniature specimen in great condition. The specimen comes with a previous label from the collection of Ray DeMark and was collected by Brian Huntsman.

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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