Malachite is a secondary copper mineral known for its vivid green color and characteristic concentric banding in polished sections. It typically forms in botryoidal or stalactitic masses within the weathering zones of copper deposits.
Is this malachite?
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 malachite with a known reference. Malachite sits at Mohs 3.5-4 — softer than the next harder reference, harder than the previous one.
- 2Check the streakDrag the specimen across an unglazed porcelain plate. Malachite leaves a light green streak.
- 3Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Malachite typically shows a vitreous luster.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: bright green, dark green, emerald green.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: monoclinic. Typical habit: botryoidal, fibrous, radial aggregates, massive.
Often confused with
Malachite vs. its common look-alikes — and how to tell them apart in the field.
How to tell apart: Streak differs — Malachite leaves light green, Chrysocolla leaves white.
How to tell apart: Streak differs — Malachite leaves light green, Azurite leaves light blue; luster reads vitreous on Malachite and vitreous to dull on Azurite.
How to tell apart: Streak differs — Malachite leaves light green, Brochantite leaves pale-green.
Often found alongside malachite
Minerals reported to co-occur with malachite. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- Cu₂CO₃(OH)₂
- Mohs hardness
- 3.5-4
- Density
- 3.6-4.0 g/cm³
- Streak
- Light Green
- Luster
- Vitreous
- Transparency
- Opaque
- Crystal system
- Monoclinic
- Crystal habit
- Botryoidal, Fibrous, Radial Aggregates, Massive
- Cleavage
- Perfect in One Direction
- Rarity
- Common
- Uses
- Ornamental, Lapidary, Collector, Pigment
- Host rock
- Oxidized Zones of Copper Ore Deposits
- Typical price
- $5-20 for tumbled pieces, $50-500+ for large botryoidal specimens
Where rockhounds find malachite
132 mapped spotsClassic worldwide localities
- Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Russia
- Australia
- USA
- Namibia
U.S. states with malachite
Each link opens a state-specific list of mapped rockhounding spots that produce malachite.
- Utah48 spots
- Missouri18 spots
- New Jersey8 spots
- New Mexico7 spots
- Pennsylvania7 spots
- North Carolina6 spots
- Wyoming6 spots
Field-hunting tip
Look in oxidized zones of copper ore deposits country — that is the host setting where malachite typically forms. If you start seeing azurite, cuprite, goethite in float, you are in the right ground. Field specimens usually show a botryoidal, fibrous, radial aggregates, massive habit, so train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop. In the U.S., the densest reported localities are in Utah, Missouri, New Jersey — start trip planning there.
Common questions
How do you identify malachite?+
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Find malachite on the map
RockHoundR shows mapped rockhounding spots, access rules, and lets you log every find.
