1.4" Shattuckite, Chrysocolla and Quartz Association - Mexico

This is a 1.4" wide, striking blue shattuckite specimen from Rancho Jacalito in Sonora, Mexico. It is naturally associated with a small amount of light blue chrysocolla and quartz crystals.

Shattuckite is a scarce copper mineral highly regarded for its vivid blue color. It is named after the Shattuck Mine in Bisbee, Arizona, where this mineral was first discovered. It crystallizes in the orthorhombic–dipyramidal crystal system and usually occurs in a granular massive form or as fibrous acicular crystals.

Chrysocolla is a basic copper silicate that typically forms as a pseudomorph following other copper based minerals. The chemical formula is considered undetermined due to the varying substitutions of elements and water content in its chemical structure. However, there is a form of chrysocolla with an identifiable chemical formula of Cu2H2Si2O5(OH)4 that can be found in microcrystals.

Regularly, chrysocolla will form as botryoidal lumps and spheres, rarely forming visible crystals. It can also form in both solid and fibrous veins, over fibrous minerals, and in crusts. Known for its sharp and vibrant coloring, chrysocolla can display a wide variety of colors such as bluish-green, bright green, light blue, to even sometimes multicolored specimens depending on the atmosphere present during formation.

Quartz is the name given to silicon dioxide (SiO2) and is the second most abundant mineral in the Earth's crust. Quartz crystals generally grow in silica-rich environments--usually igneous rocks or hydrothermal environments like geothermal waters--at temperatures between 100°C and 450°C, and usually under very high pressure. In either case, crystals will precipitate as temperatures cool, just as ice gradually forms when water freezes. Quartz veins are formed when open fissures are filled with hot water during the closing stages of mountain formation: these veins can be hundreds of millions of years old.
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DETAILS
SPECIES
Shattuckite, Chrysocolla & Quartz
LOCATION
Rancho Jacalito, Cuitaca, Mun. de Santa Cruz, Sonora, Mexico
SIZE
1.4 x 1"
CATEGORY
ITEM
#155834