Name:

atacamite

A photo of the mineral atacamite

Class:

Oxide/Hydroxides

Chemistry:

Cu2(OH)3Cl copper chloro-hydroxide

Color(s):

green, green-black, Streak: apple green

Hardness:

3 - 3.5

SpecGrav:

3.76

Fracture:

conchoidal

Cleavage:

complete

Crystal:

oxidation zone of copper deposits, especially under desert saline conditions

Envronment:

oxidation zone of copper deposits, especially under desert saline conditions

Association:

malachite, cuprite, hematite, limonite, gypsum, brochantite

Locals:

| Italy | England | USSR | Namibia | California, Arizona/USA | Mexico | Peru | Chile | Bolivia |

Misc:

Soluble in HCl and ammonia. Named from the Atacama Desert of Northern Chile where it was first discovered.

Photos
& Locals:

1.) Copiapo, Chile

2.) Copiapo, Chile

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