Is this turquoise?

[Eddie Currents]

Can anyone ID these rocks? Are they some type of turquoise?

 

[Dave J.]

Thanks for posting, EC, I done thunked the rock forum done uppen died.

Looks to me like malachite with a bit of azurite. The two very commonly go together. Neither the color nor texture look quite right for turquoise.

Funny historical note: for a few years my brother owned the Malachite Mine in Nevada. Just for rockhounding and desert ratting, no attempt to commercialize it.
It connects underground to the Mason Mine and some records don't distinguish it from the Mason Mine.
https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/show-mrds.php?dep_id=10037695

 

[Eddie Currents]

Thanks, Mr J,
I looked at other pics of malachite online and I do believe you've nailed it.

I bought it a few years ago at a Southern California rock hound's estate sale
so it's possible it came from your brother's mine or thereabouts.

Many thanks,

 

[Dave J.]

There's malachite and azurite just about any place where copper is mined, and in the southwest USA that's all over the place.

 

[Eddie Currents]

Gotcha -- thanks again

 

[Champ Ferguson]

fwiw, I think DaveJ is right too.

As a side note, a LOT of what is sold as turquoise these days is just a dyed something else. Howlite used to be the most popular mineral to fake turquoise with. If its too nice a 'turquoise blue, be very careful as its probably fake.

 

[Johnho]

Are those samples relatively heavy? Sure looks like malachite with bornite. If they're light then yes, azurite.

 

[Birdbrain]

Hello, I’ve been doing this “test” for years not really sure it works or not but still practice this. Take a human hair (human only) wrap around said rock in question take a lighter and try to burn the hair if it’s tourquise the hair will not burn. It’s kinda fun . Thank you

 

[Champ Ferguson]

Hello, I’ve been doing this “test” for years not really sure it works or not but still practice this. Take a human hair (human only) wrap around said rock in question take a lighter and try to burn the hair if it’s tourquise the hair will not burn. It’s kinda fun . Thank you

I'd be very careful applying heat around turquoise- you will drive off some of the water ions in the structure leading to possibly cracking the stone.

 

[Birdbrain]

Thank you I wasn’t aware of that fact. I’m usually dealing with small stuff and don’t want to catch a .finger. Thanks again