163 - Azurite

ID	163
Mineral	Azurite
Location	Touissit - Jerada - Morocco
Fluorescence	LW-UV: close SW-UV: close
Mindat.org	View Azurite information at mindat.org

ID	447
Long ID	1:1:447:3
Formula	`Cu₃(CO₃)₂(OH)₂`
IMA Status	0 1
Other Occurrences	Found largely in the oxidized portions of copper deposits, it is a secondary mineral formed by the action of carbonated water acting on copper-containing minerals, or from Cu-containing solutions, such as CuSO^4 or CuCl^2 reacting with limestones.
Industrial	A very minor ore of copper.
Discovery Year	1824
Diapheny	Transparent,Translucent
Cleavage	Perfect on {011}; on {100} fair; on {110} in traces.
Tenacity	brittle
Colour	Azure blue, blue, light blue, or dark blue; light blue in transmitted light
Hardness (min)	3.5
Hardness (max)	4.0
Luminescence	None
Lustre	Vitreous
About the name	From the ancient Persian lazhward, meaning "blue", in allusion to the color. Name changed to azurite in 1824 by François Sulpice Beudant.
Streak	Light blue
Crystal System	Monoclinic
Cleavage Type	Perfect
Fracture type	Conchoidal
Morphology	Tabular {001}, less common {102} or {_102}; prismatic [001] or [010]; sometimes equant or even rhombohedral; faces may be wavy with striations on {001} parallel to "a", on {100} parallel to "b." May also be massive, stalactic, or botryoidal.
Twinning	Rare, across {_101}, {_102} or {001}.
UV	None.
key_elements	0
shortcode_ima	Azu

Azurite