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Formula: Cu1+2Cu2+2O3
Anhydrous oxide
Crystal System: Tetragonal
Specific gravity: 5.9 to 6.04 measured, 6.106 calculated
Hardness: 4½
Streak: Brown-black
Colour: Black, black with a slight purple tint
Luminescence: Not fluorescent under UV
Solubility: Easily soluble in cold dilute NH4Cl or NH4OH solution, and fragments become coated by a
mixture of metallic copper and cupric oxide when placed in extremely dilute mineral acids
Environments
Paramelaconite is a very rare secondary mineral in
hydrothermal copper deposits
(HOM).
It has an extremely narrow stability region of phase space, with cuprite and
tenorite forming readily as competing impurity phases
(Mindat).
Localities
At the Tenke Mine, Tenke-Fungurume area, Lualaba, DR Congo, paramelaconite occurs on malachite in cuprite
(Mindat photo)
Paramelaconite from the Tenke Mine -
Image
At the type locality, the Copper Queen Mine, Queen Hill, Bisbee, Cochise County, Arizona, USA, paramelaconite
occurs as a secondary mineral in the following association and
sequence:
(matrix: goethite, cuprite) →
goethite → tenorite →
paramelaconite (and minor cuprite) →
connellite → malachite.
The paramelaconite alters to tenorite
(AM 26.11.657-672).
Paramelaconite from the Copper Queen Mine -
Image
At the Algomah Mine, Mass City, Ontonagon County, Michigan, USA, paramelaconite occurs as a very rare
secondary mineral in the hydrothermal
copper deposits, associated with
tenorite, chrysocolla,
malachite, plancheite,
dioptase and atacamite
(HOM).
Paramelaconite from the Algomah Mine - Image
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