Atacamite

A copper chloride forming dark emerald-green crystals in very dry climates.

Atacamite specimen — Photo: Ivar Leidus, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

How to identify atacamite

Deep emerald to blackish green slender prisms.
Apple-green streak.
Doesn't fizz in acid.

Often confused with

Malachite
Malachite is banded and fizzes in acid.
Compare side by side
Dioptase
Dioptase is brighter green and harder.
Compare side by side

Where it's found

Atacama Desert, Chile
Burra, South Australia
Arizona

Uses

Minor copper ore.

Rock tumbling

Not suitable for tumbling.

Did you know?

It's named after Chile's Atacama Desert, one of the driest places on Earth.

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