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Malachite
A valid IMA mineral species - grandfathered
This page kindly sponsored byChristine Iacobuzio-Donahue
Malachite is a green, very common secondary copper mineral with a widely variable habit. Typically, it is found as crystalline aggregates or crusts, often banded in appearance, likeagates. It is also frequently found as botryoidal clusters of radiating crystals, and as mammillary aggregates as well. Single crystals and clusters of distinguishable crystals are uncommon, but when found they are typically acicular to prismatic. It is also frequently found as a pseudomorph afterazurite crystals, which are generally more tabular.
The Cu analogue ofchukanovite. Structurally related to theRosasite Group.
The crystal structure of malachite is stabilized by a high degree of [CuO6]-octahedron distortion, as is manifested by large variations in Cu–O bond lengths resulting from oxygen atoms that connect to hydrogen at crystallographically different sites. External pressure offsets the effect of hydrogen bond, promotes [CuO6] compression and regularization and accordingly [CO3] rotation. Rotation of [CO3]-triangles, in turn, assists in a conversion in the crystal orientation of the [CuO6] structural unit. During compression to above ~6 GPa, malachite begins to turn into the rosasite lattice, accompanied with a jump in density of 3.3%. Rosasite is characterized with a hardened lattice and preserves to the maximum pressure (18.2 GPa).
Visit gemdat.org forgemological information about Malachite.
The Cu analogue ofchukanovite. Structurally related to theRosasite Group.
The crystal structure of malachite is stabilized by a high degree of [CuO6]-octahedron distortion, as is manifested by large variations in Cu–O bond lengths resulting from oxygen atoms that connect to hydrogen at crystallographically different sites. External pressure offsets the effect of hydrogen bond, promotes [CuO6] compression and regularization and accordingly [CO3] rotation. Rotation of [CO3]-triangles, in turn, assists in a conversion in the crystal orientation of the [CuO6] structural unit. During compression to above ~6 GPa, malachite begins to turn into the rosasite lattice, accompanied with a jump in density of 3.3%. Rosasite is characterized with a hardened lattice and preserves to the maximum pressure (18.2 GPa).
Visit gemdat.org forgemological information about Malachite.
