Azurite with Malachite

specimen number:
2292197

location:
Chessy, Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes, France

description:
Blocky crystals of azurite measuring to 1.0 cm in size on matrix with green malachite. In good condition with minimal micro-damage present. Nice for this French classic.

The Chessy-les-Mines district, located northwest of Lyon in the Rhone department of France, is a historic copper mining locality famous as the type locality for azurite, historically referred to as chessylite, along with exceptional cuprite and malachite specimens. Geologically, the deposit is a volcanogenic massive sulfide system associated with Devonian to Dinantian volcanic and sedimentary sequences, where intense supergene weathering and oxidation of primary copper sulfides created a rich secondary enrichment zone within clay-rich alteration halos. This specific geochemical environment allowed for the crystallization of magnificent azurite crystals and cuprite aggregates in localized pockets. Mining activity at Chessy dates back to Roman times, with significant underground extraction reviving in the mid-fifteenth century under Jacques Coeur and reaching its industrial peak between 1740 and 1860. Following the exhaustion of the primary copper and pyrite ores, formal underground operations permanently closed in 1877, though the site remains an iconic historical locality for mineral collectors worldwide.

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