Malachite

Malachite from Lady Annie Mine, Mount Isa District, Queensland, Australia, measuring 71 × 50 × 28 mm and weighing 126 grams. The specimen shows a green mineral surface with rounded relief and recesses that invite a closer look. Its character is best appreciated by considering both the overall specimen and the smaller-scale surface detail.

Malachite is a copper carbonate hydroxide associated with the alteration of copper-bearing minerals. It gives a different view of copper mineralogy from native metal or primary sulphides. A specimen with varied surface development can therefore be enjoyed as a display piece while also introducing the later chemical changes that help shape the mineral assemblages of oxidised deposits.

Lady Annie Mine supplies a specific locality within the wider Mount Isa district. That distinction matters in a Queensland collection, where many copper occurrences can otherwise become grouped under a broad regional name. The specimen's 71 mm longest dimension gives a useful area for studying the surface, while its 28 mm depth describes a relatively modest overall profile. This example comes from the David Vince Collection. The mineral's visible texture, the defined mine locality and the recorded provenance give the piece several independent points of interest. It would sit naturally within a group of Australian copper minerals, especially where the aim is to explore how a single familiar species varies between individual specimens and occurrences.