Carbonatecyanotrichite Locality: Qinglong (Dachang) Sb-Au deposit, Qinglong County, Qianxi'nan Autonomous Prefecture, Guizhou Province , China ( Locality at mindat.org ) Size: 12.9 x 7.9 x 4.9 cm. Shimmering, powder-blue to sky-blue tufts of soft, felt-like, hairs of carbonatecyranotrichite richly cover all sides of the sculptural, cabinet, calcite-covered limestone matrix of this very beautiful specimen from recent finds in China. Carbonatecyanotrichite is a secondary copper mineral found sparsely in the oxidation zones of copper-bearing ore bodies. Very highly representative and rich for the species and locality. — Photo: Robert M. Lavinsky · CC BY-SA 3.0
Carbonatecyanotrichite
Carbonatecyanotrichite is an IMA-recognized mineral species in the carbonate class, with the chemical formula Cu₄Al₂(CO₃)(OH)₁₂·2H₂O.
It is a member of the Cyanotrichite structural group.
Key properties: Mohs hardness 2; specific gravity 2.66; Silky luster; optically biaxial.
IMA symbol Ccya, IMA status: approved, named in 1963.
A rare secondary mineral found in the oxidized zone of copper-bearing deposits.
It is found associated with Volborthite, malachite, azurite, aurichalcite, pseudomalachite, spangolite, gibbsite, allophane (Balasauskandyk deposit, Kazakhstan); volborthite, tangeite.
As the carbonate-dominant analog of cyanotrichite.