Blue Carbonate Cyanotrichite on Limestone Matrix from Qinglong Mine, China

Dimension: 7cm x 5cm x 2cm
Weight: 42g
Locality: Qinglong Mine, Dachang Sb ore field, Qianxi'nan A.P., Guizhou Province, China
 
A mesmerizing specimen which has shimmering, vivid sky blue tufts of Carbonate-Cyanotrichite grown on a Limestone matrix in places.  The matrix fluoresces tiny bright blue colors like stars in the sky, under UV lighting (365 nm).  From the Qinglong Mine in Guizhou, China, it is eye-catching and alluring.  Carbonate-Cyanotrichite is a rare minerals, a secondary copper mineral found sparsely in the oxidation zones of copper-bearing ore bodies.  The name actually comes from the Greek for "blue" and "hair", for obvious reasons, as the blue crystals have this acicular (hair-like) form.
 
This is an outstanding specimen from a relatively recent find in China (in around late 2018 to early 2019), and is very highly representative and rich for the species and locality.