Chrysocolla is a mineral with a hardness of 2 out of 10 on the Mohs scale of mineral hardness [?]. These Monoclinicly structured gems are made of hydrated copper silicate, their full chemical compound being (Cu,Al)2H2Si2O5(OH)4.nH2O.

Chrysocolla is a silicate that forms as stalactitic masses, in radiating groups, or closely-packed aggregates. It appears as green, blue, and blue-green, but can also be brown or black when impurities are present. It may be translucent to nearly opaque, and has a vitreous to earthy lustre.

It forms in the oxidation zone of copper deposits, and occurs with azurite, malachite, and cuprite. When decomposed in hycrochloric acid, chrysocolla produces a silica gel.

Large masses of chrysocolla are found in Chuquicamata (Chile) and in the desert mining regions of Arizona, New Mexico, Morocco, and Rhodesia. Deposits are also found in Cornwall (England), Pennsylvania, Utah, and in Italy.

The specific gravity [?] for Chrysocolla is 2.2, it's refractive index [?] is 1.57-1.63, and it's double refraction [?] is 0.03.

History

It takes its name from the Greek "chrysos" meaning "golden" and "kolla" meaning "glue" from the name of the substance used to fuse gold.

Industrial Usages

Chrysocolla is an important mineral for ore prospectors, as its presence may suggest that porphyry copper ore deposits are close by. But aside from that, it is not considered valuable, though its beautiful shades of blue cause it to be often mistaken for turquoise. While it is too soft to be made into jewelry, chrysocolla found in quartz deposits are often hard enough to polish for cabochons.

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Tags

chrysocollasilicatevitreousblueblue greengreenazuritemalachitecupritecopper

Terms

Double Refraction or dr is the ability of a mineral to separate a refracted ray of light into 2 rays. If held over an image or text it will display the object 2x its original size.

Mohs Scale of Mineral Hardness is the standard used to categorize a mineral's ability to resist scratching. It gets its name from Friedrich Mohs, the German geologist who first created the scale.

RI or Refractive Index defines light's ability to move through the mineral or in a general sense, any material.

SG or Specific Gravity is the ratio of the weight of any substance to that of pure water at temperature of 3.98°C(39.2°F) and standard atmospheric pressure. This is important to note when actively seeking these minerals in the wild. Minerals with a higher SG will settle below material with a lower sg over time.