Provenite

About Malachite

Cu₂(CO₃)(OH)₂

A green copper carbonate hydroxide, commonly banded in massive material and fibrous or botryoidal in form.

Show 5 localities on the map

Photos of Malachite

Malachite specimen from Canoas, Zacatecas, Mexico, from the Smithsonian collection.
Malachite · Canoas
Malachite specimen from Canoas, Zacatecas, Mexico, from the Smithsonian collection.
Photo: Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History · CC0 · Source
One malachite specimen shown raw on one side and polished on the other, from the Katanga Copper Crescent.
Malachite · Kolwezi area (Musonoi mine)
One malachite specimen shown raw on one side and polished on the other, from the Katanga Copper Crescent.
Photo: Didier Descouens · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source
Malachite specimen from Tsumeb, Namibia, photographed for the Smithsonian collection.
Malachite · Tsumeb Mine
Malachite specimen from Tsumeb, Namibia, photographed for the Smithsonian collection.
Photo: Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History · CC0 · Source
Malachite specimen from Bisbee, Cochise County, Arizona, from the Smithsonian collection.
Malachite · Bisbee (Warren Mining District)
Malachite specimen from Bisbee, Cochise County, Arizona, from the Smithsonian collection.
Photo: Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History · CC0 · Source

Where Malachite is found (5)

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Mexico

Namibia

United States

Malachite on the same specimen with other minerals

Same specimen Malachite with Azurite at Concepción del Oro

1 specimen photo(s) from this locality show azurite with malachite together. The pairing comes from the photographer's file name and label, so the relationship between the two minerals is not specified.

Identity

Strunz
5 Carbonates and nitrates
Name origin
From the Greek word for mallow, alluding to its green color.
Elements
Cu, C, O, H

Physical properties

Color
Bright, dark or blackish green; commonly banded in masses; green to yellowish green in transmitted light
Streak
Pale green
Luster
Adamantine luster
Transparency
Variable
Mohs hardness
3.5–4
Density
3.983–4.05 g/cm³
Cleavage / fracture
Cleavage {201} perfect, {010} fair; fracture subconchoidal to uneven

Crystallography

Crystal system
Monoclinic
Space group
P2₁/a
Typical habit
Acicular to prismatic, thick tabular or equant crystals; typically stalactitic, mammillary or botryoidal masses that are radially fibrous inside; sprays and crude aggregates up to 9 cm
Twinning
On {100} and {201}; very common as contact or penetration twins, also polysynthetic
Optical data
Biaxial (-); alpha 1.655, beta 1.875, gamma 1.909; 2V 43 degrees; pleochroism X nearly colorless, Y yellowish green, Z deep green

Formation and use

Formation
A common secondary mineral formed in the oxidation zone of copper deposits.
Uses
Locally an ore of copper.

Related minerals

Related minerals
Azuritecupritecerussitechrysocolla (associated minerals)

Sources

  1. SRC-213 · Book
    Handbook of Mineralogy - MalachiteAnthony, J.W.; Bideaux, R.A.; Bladh, K.W.; Nichols, M.C. · 2005 · Mineralogical Society of America

Draft data from the Provenite workbook. Check entries against the cited sources before relying on them. Photos are open-licence images from Wikimedia Commons; the author and licence are given with each photo.