Catalog Search Guide
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Shattuckite
Shattuckite is a rare copper silicate hydroxide, Cu5(SiO3)4(OH)2, crystallizing in the orthorhombic system with perfect cleavage on {010} and {100} and a Mohs hardness of only 3.5. Its color runs from pale sky blue and turquoise to a dramatic deep navy or royal blue, driven by the high copper content, and its luster ranges from dull to silky. Well-formed single crystals are genuinely rare; most specimens show acicular needles gathered into radiating sprays, spherical or botryoidal crusts, fibrous masses, or compact reniform coatings lining vugs. Despite lacking metallic elements, it has an unusually high specific gravity of around 4.1, a small but telling detail collectors use to distinguish it from the closely related, harder mineral plancheite.
Shattuckite forms as a secondary mineral in the oxidized zones of copper deposits, precipitating from copper-rich fluids reacting with silica, and it is famous for replacing earlier minerals atom by atom while preserving their outward form. At its type locality, the Shattuck Mine in Bisbee, Arizona (discovered 1915), it typically forms pseudomorphs after malachite. Other classic Arizona occurrences include the New Cornelia Mine at Ajo, source of massive, richly saturated deep-blue material sometimes intergrown with ajoite, and the Eagle Eye Mine in La Paz County. Though the historic Bisbee and Ajo workings are largely exhausted, surviving cabinet specimens remain highly prized for their provenance.
The finest crystallized material comes from further afield. The Kaokoveld Plateau in the Kunene Region of Namibia produces world-class shattuckite with vivid blue radial sprays, spheres, and botryoidal crusts, often alongside malachite and quartz, while the legendary Tsumeb deposit contributes examples from its extraordinary suite of oxidized copper species. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo's Katanga Copper Crescent, the Tantara Mine near Shinkolobwe is celebrated for shattuckite pseudomorphs after dioptase, faithfully preserving the original rhombohedral crystal shape, frequently accompanied by remnant dioptase, chrysocolla, and quartz. Additional material comes from copper districts in Sonora, Mexico. Because fine crystals are scarce, colors are so intensely saturated, and pseudomorphs after malachite or dioptase offer a rare window into supergene copper mineral chemistry, shattuckite is highly sought by systematic collectors, and occasionally cut as cabochons for those willing to work with such a soft, delicate stone.
