Aurichalcite

A zinc copper carbonate forming delicate tufts of pale blue-green needles.

Aurichalcite specimen — Photo: Robert M. Lavinsky, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

How to identify aurichalcite

Soft, feathery tufts of sky blue to green needles.
Pearly sheen.
Fizzes in acid.

Often confused with

Rosasite
Rosasite forms round balls rather than tufts.
Compare side by side
Chrysocolla
Chrysocolla forms smooth crusts, not needles.
Compare side by side

Where it's found

Ojuela mine, Mapimí, Mexico
Arizona
Utah

Uses

Collector specimens.

Rock tumbling

Not suitable for tumbling.

Did you know?

Its name comes from orichalcum, a legendary metal of ancient Greece.

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