Malachite Stalactites

Malachite stalactites
 Malachite stalactites
Copyright © Rob Lavinsky


Malachite  | ‪#‎Geology‬‬‬‬

Like the sturdy stalactites we see in limestone caves, Malachite stalactites form from dripping waters, except these waters are loaded with Malachite other than calcite, the normal cave stalactite mineral.

Formula: Cu₂CO₃(OH)₂
System: Monoclinic
Colour: Bright green, with ...
Hardness: 3½ - 4
Streak: Light green
Malachite is a green, very common secondary copper mineral with a widely variable habit. Typically it is found as crystalline aggregates or crusts, often banded in appearence, like agates. It is also often found as botryoidal clusters of radiating crystals, and as mammillary aggregates as well.



Locality: L'Etoile du Congo Mine (Star of the Congo Mine; Kalukuluku Mine), Lubumbashi (Elizabethville), Southern area, Katanga Copper Crescent, Katanga (Shaba), Democratic Republic of Congo (Zaïre)


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