Malachite

specimen number:
2242001

location:
Czar Shaft, Bisbee, Cochise Co., Arizona, USA

description:
Very attractive aesthetic lustrous botryoidal crystallized malachite across the top of matrix. In excellent condition.

The Czar Shaft, located in Bisbee, Arizona, within the prolific Warren Mining District, is a cornerstone of American copper mining history. Geologically, the shaft exploited the "Czar ore body," which consisted of massive replacement deposits of copper carbonates and oxides hosted within the Devonian Martin Limestone and Mississippian Escabrosa Limestone. This specific area became famous for its spectacular secondary minerals, including vibrant blue azurite, deep green malachite, and cuprite, often found in large, well-crystallized pockets. Historically, the Czar Shaft began operations in the early 1880s under the Copper Queen Consolidated Mining Company and served as a primary production point during the district's transition from small-scale claims to an industrial powerhouse. The shaft remained a vital part of the Copper Queen operations until the focus shifted to deeper targets and open-pit methods, like the nearby Lavender Pit, with most underground activities in the immediate Czar area winding down by the mid-20th century. Today, the legacy of the Czar Shaft is preserved through the Queen Mine Tour and geological archives, remaining a premier site for studying the supergene enrichment of copper deposits in the American Southwest through 2026.

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