Information about Libethenite

A striking, green secondary mineral in the oxidised zones of copper deposits, which occurs alongside other copper minerals including malachite, pseudomalachite, azurite, and chrysocolla.

Uses and History

Primarily Libethenite is valued as a mineral collectors specimen; it is not especially common and as such doesn’t tend to be exploited as a copper ore.

Named in 1823 by August Breithaupt after the type locality Ľubietová in Slovakia (formerly Hungary). In German, this locality was called Libethen.

Mineralogy

Hazards and Warnings

Mineral collectors should wash their hands after handling specimens, to avoid any exposure to potential toxins.

Almost all rocks, minerals (and, frankly, almost all other substances on earth) can produce toxic dust when cutting, which can cause serious respiratory conditions including silicosis.

When cutting or polishing rocks, minerals, shells, etc, all work should be done wet to minimise the dust, and a suitable respirator or extraction system should be used.

Translations

Further Reading / External Links

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libethenite
• https://www.mindat.org/min-2394.html
• http://webmineral.com/data/Libethenite.shtml
• https://handbookofmineralogy.org/pdfs/libethenite.pdf