Azurite with Malachite

specimen number:
8311336

location:
Milpillas Mine, Sonora, Mexico

description:

Very showy combination piece with lustrous crystals of azurite attractive blue and measuring to 1.7 cm in size on a velvety botryoidal green malachite matrix. Choice miniature from this famous locality. In great condition.

The Milpillas Mine, situated in the Cuitaca District of Sonora, Mexico, is a modern copper operation that has become legendary for its world-class secondary mineral specimens. Geologically, it is a high-grade porphyry copper deposit where intense supergene enrichment occurred, as surface waters leached copper from the upper layers and concentrated it in a rich oxidation zone below. This process resulted in spectacular pockets of carbonates and silicates hosted within a weathered volcanic porphyry. Historically, the mine was developed by Industrias Penoles and began commercial production in 2006. While it remains a significant industrial site for copper cathode production, its legacy in the mineralogical community was cemented by the discovery of extraordinary azurite, malachite, and brochantite between 2006 and the mid-2010s. The mine is still active today, though the most prolific period for collectible mineral pockets has largely passed, leaving behind specimens that are considered benchmarks for their respective species.

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