Kinoite with Apophyllite

Unknown Owner

Beautiful blue micro crystals of kinoite covering most of one side of matrix. Colorless micro crystals of gemmy apophyllite are very rich throughout. Classic locality for the species.The Christmas Mine in Gila County, Arizona is a large copper deposit located near the town of Christmas in the Dripping Spring Mountains. Mining began in the early 20th century and the deposit was later developed as a major open pit operation. The ore occurs in a porphyry copper system hosted in intrusive and sedimentary rocks. The mine produced copper along with minor gold and silver and was an important copper source in Arizona for many years.Kinoite is a rare copper silicate mineral that forms in the oxidized zones of copper deposits. This is the type locality for the species; it was named in honor of the missionary and explorer Eusebio Kino.