Chrysocolla (I)

A mineral of secondary origin, commonly associated with other secondary copper minerals, it is typically found as glassy botryoidal or rounded masses or bubbly crusts, and as jackstraw mats of tiny acicular crystals or tufts of fibrous crystals. There are no known crystals of Chrysocolla. The chrysocolla "crystals" are all pseudomorphs.

Most Chrysocolla is from copper deposits in arid regions, though it is not at all limited to these regions and is found worldwide. Outstanding Chrysocolla in reniform blobs and thick crusts comes from Kolwezi, Katanga (Shaba), Congo (Zaïre). The ancient Timna Copper Mines of Eilat, Israel, have produced Chrysocolla combined with other copper minerals in a combination that has been given the trade name Eilat Stone. Excellent Chrysocolla pseudomorphs after Azurite come from the Whim Creek Copper Mine, Whim Creek, Western Australia. Important South American localities include the Lily Mine, Pisco Umay, Peru; and several deposits within Chañaral Province, Atacama Region, Chile.

The most outstanding Chrysocolla has come from many of the classic Arizona copper mines. The most noteworthy and outstanding are the Inspiration Mine, Globe-Miami District, Gila Co.; the 79 Mine, Hayden, Gila Co.; Morenci, Greenlee Co.; and Ray, Pinal Co.

CREDIT: MINDAT.ORG & MINERALS.NET

Pseudomorph mineral specimens are minerals or mineral compounds with atypical formation, resulting from a process of substitution or replacement. In description, pseudomorph specimens are generally noted as (replacement mineral) after (original mineral) - and the word pseudomorph literally means “false form”.

Paramorph: Also called allomorphs, paramorphs are pseudomorph specimens which have experienced change only on the molecular level. Paramorphs maintain their original, unaltered form and chemical composition, but with a different molecular structure. Usually, this means replacement of a mineral by one of its dimorphs – a mineral with the same chemical structure, but a different molecule structure.

Substitution:  Also referred to as “infiltration pseudomorphs” these specimens are formed when one mineral or material is replaced by another. The original formation's shape is preserved, but the original mineral undergoes complete chemical substitution by a subsequent mineral. The result is a specimen which maintains the shape and form of the original mineral, but with the color, hardness, density, and other properties of the second mineral.

Perimorph: Also referred to as “incrustation pseudomorphs”, perimorphs are formed when one mineral coats another, forming a crust of material which encases the original formation. This new crust remains intact, while the original mineral dissolves, resulting in a mold-like formation, with surfaces which exhibit the shape of both materials. This dissolution most often occurs through exposure to naturally occurring acidic solutions – though, in some cases, it can be purposefully induced.

Alteration: The process of alteration is similar to that above, except that pseudomorph specimens which undergo alteration have experienced only partial replacement or substitution. This typically occurs in situations where the original mineral undergoes a chemical reaction to another mineral of similar composition – resulting in a transformation of chemical composition, which retains the original crystalline form. These changes often occur on “exposed” surfaces, resulting in a pseudomorph which contains a core of unaltered original material.

Epimorph: An epimorph is a mineral whose shape has been formed by its environment – usually, as a coating over an original mineral. The original may or may not have dissolved – but if it has, these pseudomorph specimens are sometimes referred to as “casts”. A geode is an example of an epimorph.

Credit: iRocks.com

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