Mineral · Malachite group
Malachite
Cu2(CO3)(OH)2
Malachite is the green copper carbonate of the Congolese Copperbelt, Bisbee, Tsumeb and the Urals, sold as banded polished slabs, stalactites, velvet botryoidal crusts and as pseudomorphs after azurite. Polished Congo malachite is cheap and ubiquitous; primary malachite crystals are rare and valuable. It effervesces in acid and stains the hands and paper green.
| Formula | Cu2(CO3)(OH)2 |
|---|---|
| IMA status | grandfathered |
| Crystal system | Monoclinic |
| Mohs hardness | 3.5–4 |
| Group | Malachite group |
| Type locality | None (known since antiquity) |
| Streak | Pale green |
| Specific gravity | 4.0 |
| Reference list | IMA List of Minerals (RRUFF) — verify formula and status against the current list |
Fakes and treatments
Reconstituted malachite (powder in resin) and painted concrete imitations exist; real malachite is heavy and cold. Dust from cutting is toxic.
Handling and safety
Do not breathe malachite dust; wet-cut only.
Elsewhere
Cite this article
Stratum Study. "Malachite" (Mineral). Stratum Study pack 2026.09, as of 2026-09-19. https://stratum.black/study/minerals/malachite. Accessed 2026-09-20.
@misc{stratum-malachite,
title = {Malachite},
author = {{Stratum Study}},
howpublished = {\url{https://stratum.black/study/minerals/malachite}},
year = {2026},
note = {Mineral article, Stratum Study pack 2026.09, as of 2026-09-19; sources: stratum, wikidata, commons. Accessed 2026-09-20.}
} Citations carry the pack version and the article's as-of date so they resolve to the same text later. The facts themselves belong to the sources listed below; cite those for the science.