Azurite (J-63)

specimen number:
9273217

location:
Bisbee, Cochise Co., Arizona, USA

description:

Classic bright lustrous rosette of crystallized azurite. In great condition all around with good luster.

The Bisbee mining district, situated in the Mule Mountains of Cochise County, Arizona, is a major base metal deposit renowned for its massive production of copper, lead, zinc, and silver, alongside diverse secondary copper minerals like malachite and azurite. Geologically, the deposit consists of a large porphyry copper system centered on the Jurassic-aged Sacramento Hill stock and extensive carbonate replacement ore bodies hosted within Paleozoic limestone formations. Hydrothermal fluids from the magmatic intrusion migrated along fault zones, depositing massive sulfides that later underwent deep oxidation and supergene enrichment to form high-grade oxide ores. Commercial extraction began around 1880 following the formation of the Copper Queen Mining Company, which later became a flagship property of the Phelps Dodge Corporation. Industrial operations evolved from extensive underground networks to include the large Lavender Pit open-pit mine in 1950, with all major commercial mining activities continuously producing until the exhaustion of profitable ore bodies forced a complete closure in late 1975.

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