Mineralpedia Details for Aurichalcite

Named for the Latin word for “brass,” aurichalcum, which itself comes from the words for the colors gold, aurum, and copper, chalceus. Aurichalcite is a relatively common mineral with hundreds of widespread, worldwide localities including as good specimens from Russia, Italy, Greece, France, USA, Mexico, Iran, Namibia, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Aurichalcite can be found in oxidized copper and zinc deposits in association with rosasite, smithsonite, hemimorphite, hydrozincite, malachite, and azurite.

Ref. Handbook of Mineralogy, Anthony et al (1995) and MSA at http://www.handbookofmineralogy.org/pdfs/aurichalcite.pdf

Formula

Zn₅(CO₃)₂(OH)₆ 

Crystal System

Monoclinic 

Crystal Habit

Druse, Encrustations, Acicular 

Cleavage

Perfect, None, None 

Luster

Pearly 

Color

pale green, sky blue, greenish blue 

Streak

light blue 

Class

Monoclinic - Prismatic 

Fracture

Uneven 

Hardness

2 

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Mindat

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Aqua-blue crystal sprays to 3mm across deep in a pocket associated with probable Hydrozincite.

Aqua blue sprays of acicular crystals to 6mm.

Aqua-blue micro crystals in 1mm "patches" throughout matrix

Rich specimen filled with aqua-colored Aurichalcite clusters to 4mm amongst the numerous vugs.

Velvety, compact crystal balls of Aurichalcite to 4mm

Compact greenish blue crystal tufts to 1mm across composed of lath-like crystals.

Aqua blue, thin bladed crystals in radial balls to 1mm.

Light green compact groups of Aurichalcite with Calcite. Nice specimen for this locality.

Light bluish green crystals of Aurichalcit in spherical aggregate to 7mm, which is good size for any Aurichalcite.

Bladed crystals to 6mm.

Beautiful thin bladed divergent sprays to 7mm.

There are several minerals on this specimen. The Aurichalcite is typical bluish green and bladed but very micro in size. There is also light greenish yellow groups of Smithsonite, colorless, bladed Hemimorphite, and bladed Linarite. 

A large cabinet specimen with superb bladed crystals of Aurichalcite in divergent sprays to 3mm. Amongst the Aurichalcite are blue balls of rosasite to 4mm and areas of black, shiny very tiny cubic Murdochite crystals.

Tiny 2mm or less bluish sprays throughout the matrix. Good specimen for the locality. 

This specimen has got to be one of the best Kelly mine Aurichalcites around. It has thick coverage of thin platy blue crystals in 3-4mm rosettes. There are crystals on the front and back with good micro bluish white crystals of Smithsonite  on the base. It is as good as it looks and definitely museum quality.

Collected by Hampson in 1968, this specimen is a good example and seldomly seen Aurichalcite from this mine known for jack-straw Cerussite. It's a good, rich specimen with groups of Aurichalcite to 4mm across.