Physical Features
1. Color- Green.
2. Streak- Light Green.
3. Luster- Adamantine to vitreous, silky, dull to earthy.
4. Cleavage- Good in one direction but rarley seen.
5. Transparency- Opaque in massive and translucent in crystalline.
6. Fracture- Conchoidal to splintery.
7. Hardness- 3.5-4.
8. Forms- Massive
9. Crystal Structure- Monoclinic.
The first time I saw Malachite, I fell in love with it. Now I'm an avid collector, whether raw, polished, tumbled, in carvings, or as figurines, I just can't get enough. Malachite is my favorite copper carbonate mineral. It's banded light and dark green designs are so amazing. The mineral provides a varity of beautiful and interesting pattern's. It might just be one of the most liked minerals in history. Malachites name derives from the greek for "Mallow", in reference to It's leaf-green color.
Typically Malachite occurs in the altered areas of copper and limestone deposits. It may be associated with the mineral azurite, goethite or calcite. The mineral crystallizes in monoclinic crystal system and most often forms botryoidal, fibrous, and stalagmitic masses.
Larg quantities of malachite can be found in the mines of Ural, Russia. Isreal also mines malachite extensively at Timna Valley, also known as "King Solomons Mine".
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