Azurite with Malachite

specimen number:
2242049

location:
Holbrook Extension, Bisbee, Cochise Co., Arizona, USA

description:

Fine and choice Arizona classic with bladed deep blue lustrous crystals of azurite across the top of matrix with minor malachite. Overall in very good condition.

The Holbrook Mine, located in the Warren Mining District of Bisbee, Arizona, was a key early producer of high-grade copper for the Copper Queen Consolidated Mining Company. Geologically, the mine was situated on the western edge of the district's primary mineralization zone, where copper-rich fluids replaced Paleozoic limestones, creating massive bodies of oxidized ore. The locality is renowned among mineral collectors for producing magnificent specimens of azurite and malachite, often found in aesthetic, velvet-like coatings or stalactitic forms within large underground caverns. Historically, the Holbrook shaft was sunk in the late 1880s and became a vital part of the Copper Queen operations during the 1890s and early 1900s. Mining and quarrying at the site involved both deep underground work and later integration into the expanding Lavender Pit open-cut operations as surface mining became more efficient. While the Holbrook shaft itself was eventually overtaken by the growth of the nearby pit, its legacy as a source of world-class copper carbonates remains significant through 2026. The mine effectively operated as a primary production unit until the mid-20th century when the transition to larger-scale open-pit methods fundamentally changed the landscape of the Bisbee district.

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