Malachite with Aurichalcite

specimen number:
2063868

location:
Ojuela Mine, Mapimi, Durango, Mexico

description:
A good example for the species and locality, brilliant green lustrous crystals of malachite to 0.4 cm in length are scattered throughout an open pocket throughout this limonite matrix. Small blue crystals of aurichalcite are present as well. The specimen comes with a previous label from the collection of Ray DeMark. He acquired the piece while in Mexico in the early 1970s.

The Ojuela Mine, located in Mapimi, Durango, Mexico, was discovered by Spanish prospectors in 1598 and operated intermittently for over 350 years before closing commercially in 1932. Geologically, the deposit is hosted within deformed Cretaceous limestone units that have been intruded by Tertiary igneous rocks, creating an extensive hydrothermal pipe and vein system. Intense secondary oxidation processes acting on primary sulfide mineralization have produced a world-renowned zone of rich secondary mineral assemblages, making the mine famous for its exceptional variety of colorful arsenates, carbonates, and oxides.

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