MALACHITE PSEUDOMORPHS AFTER AZURITE: Part 1: Bisbee, Arizona, and Tsumeb, Namibia

• Published in: Rocks & minerals Vol. 97; no. 1; p. 72
• Main Authors: Southwood, Malcolm, Cairncross, Bruce
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington Taylor & Francis Inc 01.02.2022
• Subjects: Blues music; Collections; Crystals; United States > US; Namibia; Arizona
• ISSN: 0035-7529; 1940-1191
• DOI: 10.1080/00357529.2022.1989955

Pseudomorphs of malachite after azurite are reasonably common in nature and are among the most sought by mineral collectors; a tendency for sharp preservation of the original azurite habit coupled with strong, bright colors makes for attractive specimens. Moreover, incomplete replacements commonly result in spectacular combinations of blues and greens, and it is an interesting fact that the electric-blue colors displayed by partly altered azurite are often far more striking than the typically blackish-blue of pristine crystals. Malachite pseudomorphs after azurite can be found at numerous localities and in many parts of the world. Relatively few localities, however, have produced large and spectacular examples, and it is an interesting observation that the vast majority of such occurrences are from the lower latitudes (i.e., warmer countries); the southwestern United States, Mexico, Morocco, Namibia, and Laos are all good examples. In researching this subject, we quickly realized that the variety of replacement habits from even a limited selection of localities would warrant rather more photographs than a typical Connoisseur's Choice column. We have therefore chosen to present the article in two parts.