Azurite

specimen number:
2062594

location:
4500 level, NW Extension, Morenci Mine, Greenlee Co., Arizona, USA

description:
An attractive cluster consisting of spherical shape crystal groupings of deep blue sparkling bladed azurite crystals, these averaging 1.0 cm in size. There are no points of attachment and this is crystallized completely all around. Quite aesthetic and very nice for the species from this locality. The specimen comes with a previous collection label from Ray DeMark. Collected in the mid 1990s by Wayne Chartier. This is quite fine.

The Morenci Mine, located in Greenlee County, Arizona, is one of the oldest and largest copper-producing operations in North America, with mining history dating back to the late 1860s and early 1870s following initial discoveries by pioneers like Army Captain Willcox and the subsequent involvement of the Lezinsky brothers. Geologically, the deposit is a massive porphyry copper system centered on intrusive monzonite porphyry cutting through Precambrian granite and Paleozoic sedimentary rocks, where extensive supergene enrichment created vast blanket deposits of copper ores. Historically, operations transitioned from early underground high-grade extraction to massive open-pit mining and modern heap leaching, turning Morenci into a cornerstone of the American copper industry and a notable producer of fine secondary copper mineral specimens.

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