Chrysocolla
phyllosilicate mineral
Chrysocolla ( KRIS-ə-KOL-ə) is a hydrous copper phyllosilicate mineral and mineraloid with the formula Cu2 – xAlx(H2Si2O5)(OH)4⋅nH2O (x < 1) or (Cu, Al)2H2Si2O5(OH)4⋅nH2O).
The structure of the mineral has been questioned, as a 2006 spectrographic study suggest material identified as chrysocolla may be a mixture of the copper hydroxide spertiniite and chalcedony.
Chrysocolla typically forms amorphously.
History
The name chrysocolla comes from the Ancient Greek χρυσός (khrusós) and κολλα (kolla), meaning "gold" and "glue" respectively, in allusion to the name of the material used to solder gold. The word was first used by Theophrastus in 315 BC.
Geology
Chrysocolla has a cyan (blue-green) color and is a minor ore of copper, having a hardness of 2.5 to 7.0. It is of secondary origin and forms in the oxidation zones of copper ore bodies. Associated minerals are quartz, limonite, azurite, malachite, cuprite, and other secondary copper minerals. It is typically found as botryoidal or rounded masses and crusts, or vein fillings.
A 2006 study has produced evidence that chrysocolla may be a microscopic mixture of the copper hydroxide mineral spertiniite, amorphous silica and water.
Jewelry
Due to being somewhat more common than turquoise, its wide availability, and vivid, beautiful blue and blue-green colors, chrysocolla has been popular for use as a gemstone for carvings and ornamental use since antiquity.
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This entry incorporates text from “Chrysocolla” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.