Kinoite with Apophyllite

specimen number:
9302330

location:
Christmas Mine, Gila Co., Arizona, USA

description:

Brilliant blue micro crystals of kinoite on matrix with colorless gemmy micro crystals of apophyllite. In good condition.

The Christmas mine, located in the Banner mining district of Gila County, Arizona, is a notable copper-producing skarn deposit. Geologically, the deposit formed where Cretaceous-aged granodiorite porphyry dikes and stocks intruded Paleozoic limestone and dolomite strata, causing intense contact metamorphism. This geological interaction generated extensive calc-silicate skarn zones rich in copper sulfides, chalcopyrite, and magnetite, alongside secondary copper silicates and carbonates in oxidized upper zones. Underground and open-pit mining operations began around 1905 following the settlement of long-standing mining claim disputes, with the property changing ownership several times among major corporate entities, including the Iron Cap Copper Company and Inspiron Copper Corporation. Large-scale corporate production of copper ore, along with minor byproduct gold and silver, continued intermittently through the mid-twentieth century until declining metal prices and depleted reserves forced the permanent cessation of mining operations in January 1982.

Kinoite is a copper calcium silicate mineral. It typically forms as a secondary mineral in the oxidized zones of copper skarn deposits, occurring as deep azure-blue to light blue crystals, tabular aggregates, or vein coatings. First discovered and described from the Santa Rita Mountains of Arizona, the mineral frequently occurs in close association with apophyllite, Ruizite, and native copper within localized rock fractures.

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