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Chrysocolla
Chemical Formula	(Cu,Al)2H2Si2O5(OH)4·nH2O
Species	Silicates
Crystal System	Orthorhombic
Mohs Scale	2-3
Specific Gravity	1.9-2.4
Color	Blue, blue-green, green
Streak	white to a blue-green color
Luster	Vitreous, Waxy, Earthy
Refractive Index	n = 1.575 - 1.585 n = 1.597 n = 1.598 - 1.635
Diaphaneity	Translucent, Opaque
Cleavage	None ObservedNone
Fracture	Irregular/Uneven, Sub-Conchoidal
Crystal Habit：Massive, nodular, botryoidal
Geological Setting：Found in the oxidation zone of copper deposits, often encrusting or replacing earler secondary minerals.

Properties

Chrysocolla has a blue-green color and is a minor ore of copper, having a hardness of 2.5 to 3.5.

Name and discovery

The name comes from the Greek chrysos, "gold", and kolla, "glue", in allusion to the name of the material used to solder gold, and was first used by Theophrastus in 315 BCE.

Formation and occurrence

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. Because of its light color, it is sometimes confused with turquoise.

Notable occurrences include Israel, Democratic Republic of Congo, Chile, Cornwall in England, and Arizona, Utah, Idaho, New Mexico and Pennsylvania in the United States.

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