Malachite

specimen number:
2282118

location:
Apex Mine, Washington Co., Utah, USA

description:
Green crystallized malachite rich across a breccia matrix. Neat locality example for the species. In good condition. Minor azurite is present as well.

The Apex mine, located in the Beaver Dam Mountains of Washington County, Utah, is a historic underground deposit recognized as the first mine in the world operated exclusively for the extraction of gallium and germanium. Geologically, the ore body is a pipe-like solution-collapse breccia structure hosted within the Mississippian-aged Lux limestone formation. Intense, multi-stage hydrothermal alteration and supergene weathering transformed the primary base-metal sulfides into a complex oxidized zone rich in iron oxides, copper carbonates, and secondary arsenates, where the rare germanium and gallium concentrated within limonite, jarosite, and azurite matrices. The property was initially claimed in 1984 for its copper mineralization and produced copper and lead intermittently under various operators through the early twentieth century. After remaining dormant for decades, Musto Explorations acquired the site and reopened it in 1985, setting up specialized processing operations to recover the high-tech metals until depressed commodity prices forced the closure of primary mining and chemical extraction facilities around 1990.

Questions about this specimen?
Send an email or call us: 314-341-1811.