Image: <bdi><a href="https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q56247090" class="extiw" title="d:Q56247090"><span title="mineral collector and dealer">Robert M. Lavinsky</span></a></bdi> (CC BY-SA 3.0)
triclinicuncommonPhosphates
Turquoise
CuAl₆(PO₄)₄(OH)₈·4H₂O
This specimen displays a vibrant blue-green color, characteristic of turquoise, with a massive to botryoidal habit and an opaque appearance.
Turquoise Physical Properties
Mohs Hardness
5Crystal System
triclinicLuster
waxyStreak Color
white to pale blue-greenCleavage
good on {001}, but rarely observed due to massive habitFracture
conchoidalSpecific Gravity
2.7Colors
blue, blue-green, green, yellowish-greenTransparency
opaqueType Locality
Mount Kourou Diakouma (Kouroudiako), Saraya, Falémé River basin, Tambacounda RegionMineral Group
PhosphatesUses
jewelry, ornamental stone, carvingAssociated Minerals
senegalite, chalcedony, kaolinite, limonite, pyrite, quartzRarity
uncommonGeological Context
Turquoise is a secondary mineral that forms in arid regions through the alteration of aluminum-rich igneous rocks, often in association with copper deposits, precipitating from circulating groundwater.
