Preface
This
month, we are paying a brief visit to coppery: Azurite.
The Arabs named it, and it has
been used a pigment for centuries. Let's see why.
Introduction
Welcome to
another Mineral Picfest!
This month, we
are featuring Azurite, a hydrous copper carbonate. It is also known as
Chessylite. Found almost anywhere surface copper deposits are exposed to weathering,
these
amazing deep blue pointed crystals grab our attention with their stunning color. Enjoy!
Named for its deep blue color, Azurite can
be found as a secondary mineral altering from
copper sulfide minerals. Found in vugs as crystals, rosettes, or botryoidal masses,
this month's
mineral may inhabit porous limonite matrix (as with the occurrence in Morenci, Arizona).
It is used as a pigment and studied and
displayed by collectors. Some have mounted crystals
in jewelry, though I have not seen any examples to date. It's limitations are its
soft and brittle
nature, and its loss of color when exposed to heat. Perhaps you might quest for a
sample.
As Azurite oxidizes, it is replaced by
Malachite as a pseudomorph. Many colorful blue and
green mineral assemblages are a geological snapshot of this change. Some collectors
find the
combination brightens up their collection.
It occurs all around the world. Its
occurrence is a good tool for prospecting, as its presence
is an indicator of copper sulfide minerals. In fact, our club's local collecting
area includes a locale
in our Maryland area at the abandoned Libertyville Copper Mines.
A good reference site is: www.mindat.org/min-447.html.
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Azurite
with Malachite,
Guichi Copper Mine, Anhui Province, China |
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Azurite
with Malachite (closeup),
Guichi Copper Mine, Anhui Province, China |
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Azurite
with Malachite,
Guichi Copper Mine, Anhui Province, China |
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Azurite
with Malachite (closeup),
Guichi Copper Mine, Anhui Province, China |
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Azurite
with cerussite and duftite,
Tsumeb Mine, Tsumeb, Namibia |
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Azurite
and Malachite on Tennantite with Quartz,
Tsumeb Mine, Tsumeb, Namibia
(ex Bahmann Collection) |
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Azurite,
New Cornelia Mine, Ajo, Arizona
(ex P. Harter Collection) |
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Azurite
with Cerussite on Arsentsumebite, Malachite,
Tsumeb Mine, Tsumeb, Namibia
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| Photos
above courtesy of and by Isaias Casanova, IC Minerals
©2006 Photos below courtesy of and by Stan Celestian, Glendale
Community College ©2006
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| Azurite
and Malachite, Concentric layers (botryoidal mass) |
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Azurite
rosettes with Malachite on Limonite,
Morenci Mine, Arizona |
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Botryoidal
Azurite,
Morenci Mine, Arizona |
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Azurite
with Malachite,
Morenci, Arizona |
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Links
The Mineral Azurite
(Mineral Galleries)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azurite
Webmineral's "Azurite"
Uses
Mainly, Azurite may be
ground as a pigment and as a minor copper ore. The ancient Greeks,
Arabs, Egyptians, and Persians have used it. I will leave some links for you to
explore.
Here is where DMS Members can add their Azurite
photos to share with us.
Until Next Time
We hope you have enjoyed our all too short visit to
Azurite. Please join us next month,
for another Picfest!
Until then, stay safe, and happy collecting. 
Article Contributors
I would like to gratefully acknowledge the generous
contributions of our fellow variscite
enthusiasts,
collectors, authors, curators, professionals, and club members who made this
work possible. Thanks.
Stan Celestian, Earth Sciences Department, Glendale Community College, Glendale, Arizona
© 2006 All contributions to this
article are covered under the copyright protection of this article
and by separate and several copyright protection(s), and are to be used for the sole
purposes of
enjoying this scholarly article. They are used gratefully with express written
permission of the
authors, save for generally-accepted scholarly quotes, short in nature, deemed legal to
reference
with the appropriate citation and credit. Reproduction of this article must
be obtained by express
written permission of the author, Kenneth B. Casey, for his contributions, authoring,
photos, and
graphics. Use of all other credited materials requires permission of each
contributor separately.
Links and general contact information are included in the credits above,
and throughout this article.
The advice offered herein are only suggestions; it is the reader's charge to use the
information
contained herein responsibly. DMS is not responsible for misuse or
accidents caused from this
article. All opinions, theories, proofs, and views expressed within this article, and in
others on this
website, do not necessarily reflect the views of the Delaware Mineralogical Society.
Suggested Reading
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About
the Author: Ken is current webmaster of the Delaware
Mineralogical Society. He has a diploma in
Jewelry Repair, Fabrication & Stonesetting from the Bowman Technical School,
Lancaster, PA, and worked as jeweler. He has
also studied geology at the University of Delaware. And,
he is currently a member of the Delaware Mineralogical Society and the Franklin-Ogdensburg
Mineralogical Society. E-mail: kencasey98@yahoo.com.
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