Mineralpedia Details for Guanacoite

Named after the type locality at the El Guanaco mine in the Antofagasta Region of Chile. An additional locality for Guanacoite is at the Taghouni mine in the Bou Azzer district of Morocco. It occurs at the type locality as blue to pale blue prismatic to acicular crystals, and associated with arhbarite, conichalcite, olivenite, chrysocolla, brochantite, quartz, and enargite. In Bou Azzer it forms in assicaition with quartz, dolomite, chalcopyrite, chromite, cuprite, malachite, and agardite-Ce.

Ref. Witzke, T. et al. and the European Journal of Mineralogy, November, December 2006 v. 18 no. 6 p. 813-821

Formula

Cu₂Mg₃(AsO₄)₂(OH)₄·4H₂O 

Crystal System

Monoclinic 

Crystal Habit

Prismatic 

Luster

Vitreous (Glassy) 

Color

blue, pale blue 

Streak

pale blue 

Class

Monoclinic - Prismatic 

Hardness

- 

WebMineral

View Guanacoite 

Mindat

View Guanacoite 

Deep blue, bladed, glassy crystals to 0.75mm lining vugs of Arhbarite.