A secondary mineral in copper and zinc deposits, aurichalcite is typically found as blue or green crusts or mats of tiny acicular crystals, often as feathery, tufted, druzes; more rarely it is found as columnar crystal aggregates or crusts of either lamellar aggregates or as granular aggregates.

Where is Aurichalcite mineral found?

It is commonly found with malachite in the oxidized zone of zinc and copper deposits as at Tomsk, Siberia; Santander, Spain; and Bisbee, Ariz., U.S. Its pale blue-green featherlike form distinguishes it from malachite; and, because it is a weathered product of zinc-rich ores, it can serve as a guide to zinc deposits.

What is the Aurichalcite mineral?

Aurichalcite is soft, monoclinic, copper and zinc bearing mineral. It forms a soft, scaly, greenish-blue crust in oxidized zones of copper-zinc ore deposits. It is considered to be a guide or indicator of zinc ore.