2" Chrysocolla on Quartz Crystal - Tentadora Mine, Peru

Silicon Dioxide, also known as SiO2 or Quartz, is the second most abundant mineral in the Earth's crust. Quartz crystals generally grow in silica-rich, hot watery solutions called hydrothermal environments, at temperatures between 100°C and 450°C, and usually under very high pressure. Quartz veins are formed when open fissures are filled with hot water during the closing stages of mountains forming, and can be hundreds of millions of years old.

Chrysocolla is a basic copper silicate that typically forms as a pseudomorph following other copper based minerals. The chemical formula is considered undetermined due to the varying substitutions of elements and water content in its chemical structure. However, there is a form of chrysocolla with an identifiable chemical formula of Cu2H2Si2O5(OH)4, that can be found in microcrystals.

Regularly, chrysocolla will form as botryoidal lumps and spheres, rarely forming visible crystals. It's also been known to form in both solid and fibrous veins, over fibrous minerals and in crusts. Known for its sharp and vibrant coloring, chrysocolla can display a wide variety of colors such as blueish-green, bright green, light blue to even sometimes multicolored specimens, depending on the atmosphere present during formation.