Libethenite is a copper phosphate forming dark olive-green to bottle-green orthorhombic crystals — the phosphate analogue of the arsenate olivenite. It is a classic secondary mineral of oxidized Cu deposits.
Properties
- Formula: Cu2(PO4)(OH)
- Crystal system: Orthorhombic
- Hardness: 4
- Color: Olive-green, dark green, bottle-green, sometimes nearly black
- Streak: Olive-green
- Luster: Vitreous to greasy
- Cleavage: Indistinct
- Density: 3.6 – 3.9 g/cm³
Occurrence
Type locality: Ľubietová (Slovakia). World-class modern specimens from Mashamba West and Kolwezi (DR Congo) — sharp olive prisms in clusters; also Cornwall (UK) and Broken Hill (Australia). Chinese material is minor.
Identification
Olive-green prisms + Cu phosphate chemistry + association with malachite/azurite. Distinguish from olivenite (arsenate, similar habit, requires chemical separation) and malachite (carbonate, fibrous habit).
Collector Notes
Congolese libethenite crystallized clusters are the modern collector benchmark — a key species in any Cu-phosphate display alongside pseudomalachite.
Found at these Localities
- Cornwall Mining District (康沃尔矿区)
- Tsumeb Mine (楚梅布矿)
- Broken Hill (布罗肯希尔铅锌银矿)
