Azurite

specimen number:
2102179

location:
Bisbee, Cochise Co., Arizona, USA

description:
Beautiful blue crystallized azurite across both sides of matrix. In good condition.

Bisbee, located in the Mule Mountains of Cochise County, Arizona, is one of the most famous mining districts in the world, renowned for its massive copper production and extraordinary mineral specimens. Geologically, the district is centered on the Sacramento Hill porphyry copper deposit, where Mesozoic-aged intrusions interacted with Paleozoic limestones to create vast replacement ore bodies and secondary enrichment zones. This complex environment produced a legendary variety of colorful minerals, most notably vibrant blue azurite, green malachite, and turquoise. Historically, mining began following the 1877 discovery of copper by army scouts and prospectors, leading to the formation of the Copper Queen Consolidated Mining Company. The district saw intense industrial activity for nearly a century, with major underground and open-pit operations like the Lavender Pit dominating the landscape until large-scale mining finally ceased in 1975. Today, Bisbee is celebrated as a premier historical and mineralogical landmark, with its mines having produced over eight billion pounds of copper and some of the finest oxidized copper minerals ever seen in museum collections.

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