Image: <a href="//commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=User:TheFurther21&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="User:TheFurther21 (page does not exist)">TheFurther21</a> (CC BY-SA 4.0)
monocliniccommoncarbonates
Malachite
Cu2(CO3)(OH)2
This specimen features dark green malachite in a distinctive botryoidal habit, forming rounded, bubbly aggregates on a dark matrix. The crystal part of the specimen is approximately 5 cm across and 3 cm long, displaying a velvety to silky luster.
Malachite Physical Properties
Mohs Hardness
3.5Crystal System
monoclinicLuster
silkyStreak Color
light greenCleavage
perfect on {201}, good on {001} (rarely observed)Fracture
conchoidalSpecific Gravity
3.9Colors
green, dark green, light greenTransparency
translucentType Locality
Democratic Republic of Congo, Russia (Urals), Australia, Arizona (USA)Mineral Group
carbonatesUses
jewelry, ornamental stone, pigment, minor copper ore, collectorAssociated Minerals
azurite, chrysocolla, cuprite, native copper, goethite, limoniteRarity
commonGeological Context
Malachite is a secondary copper carbonate hydroxide mineral that forms in the oxidation zone of copper deposits, often found in limestone or dolomite. It precipitates from copper-rich solutions interacting with carbonate rocks.
