Quartz with Chrysocolla

specimen number:
2292445

location:
Bagdad Mine, Yavapai Co., Arizona, USA

description:
A large mass of mostly chrysocolla, this with an open cavity lined with botryoidal blue chrysocolla and colorless botryoidal quartz. Minor malachite present as well.

The Bagdad Mine, located in Yavapai County, Arizona, is a large porphyry copper deposit situated within the Laramide-age igneous complex of the Arizona transition zone. The geological setting features a stock of quartz monzonite porphyry that intruded into older Precambrian metamorphic and igneous rocks, resulting in extensive hydrothermal alteration and sulfide mineralization. Copper and molybdenum ores occur primarily as disseminations and fracture-fillings within the host rock. Mining operations in the Bagdad district date back to the late nineteenth century, transitioning from small-scale underground efforts to the development of a large-scale open-pit operation in the mid-twentieth century. The site has remained a significant producer of copper and molybdenum concentrate for decades, utilizing modern solvent extraction and electrowinning technology alongside conventional milling to sustain large-scale industrial output.

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