Chrysocolla is a hydrated copper silicate that typically forms as colorful, glassy blue-green coatings or botryoidal masses in the oxidized zones of copper mines. It is very soft and fragile, making it popular for lapidary work when found in its harder, silicified form often referred to as Gem Silica.
Is this chrysocolla?
5-step field checkRun through these checks against the specimen in your hand. The more boxes tick, the more confident the ID.
- 1Test the hardnessTry to scratch chrysocolla with a known reference. Chrysocolla sits at Mohs 2-4 — softer than the next harder reference, harder than the previous one.
- 2Check the streakDrag the specimen across an unglazed porcelain plate. Chrysocolla leaves a white streak.
- 3Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Chrysocolla typically shows a vitreous luster.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: blue, blue-green, green, brown.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: orthorhombic. Typical habit: botryoidal, crusts, massive, earthy.
Often confused with
Chrysocolla vs. its common look-alikes — and how to tell them apart in the field.
How to tell apart: Turquoise is the harder of the two (Mohs 5-6 vs. 2-4); luster reads vitreous on Chrysocolla and waxy on Turquoise.
How to tell apart: Streak differs — Chrysocolla leaves white, Malachite leaves light green.
Often found alongside chrysocolla
Minerals reported to co-occur with chrysocolla. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- (Cu,Al)₂H₂Si₂O₅(OH)₄·nH₂O
- Mohs hardness
- 2-4
- Density
- 2.0-2.4 g/cm³
- Colors
- Streak
- White
- Luster
- Vitreous
- Transparency
- Opaque
- Crystal system
- Orthorhombic
- Crystal habit
- Botryoidal, Crusts, Massive, Earthy
- Cleavage
- None
- Rarity
- Common
- Uses
- Collector, Lapidary, Decorative
- Host rock
- Oxidized Zones of Copper Ore Deposits
- Typical price
- $5-50 for small specimens, up to $200 for high-quality botryoidal clusters
Where rockhounds find chrysocolla
36 mapped spotsClassic worldwide localities
- Arizona, USA
- Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Chile
- Israel
- Peru
U.S. states with chrysocolla
Each link opens a state-specific list of mapped rockhounding spots that produce chrysocolla.
Field-hunting tip
Look in oxidized zones of copper ore deposits country — that is the host setting where chrysocolla typically forms. If you start seeing malachite, azurite, cuprite in float, you are in the right ground. Field specimens usually show a botryoidal, crusts, massive, earthy habit, so train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop. In the U.S., the densest reported localities are in New Mexico, Utah, Arizona — start trip planning there.
Common questions
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Find chrysocolla on the map
RockHoundR shows mapped rockhounding spots, access rules, and lets you log every find.
