Information about Tyrolite

Tyrolite is a striking secondary mineral, typically forming radial or botryoidal masses, flattened/platy or fibrous aggregates, often with a silky or pearly sheen.

Its colour ranges from sky-blue, turquoise-blue, through blue-green, to light green, especially in thinner or transmitted light. It is translucent, sometimes showing patches of deeper blue or green where crystals are thicker.

Uses and History

Tyrolite is of interest almost exclusively to mineral collectors, museums, and geologists.

Because it contains copper and arsenic, it can be a minor copper ore in some deposits, but it is too rare and fragile to have any significant economic use. It’s also used in academic studies to understand supergene alteration of copper-arsenic minerals.

Tyrolite was first described in 1845 from Falkenstein in the Schwaz District, Tyrol, Austria, from which it takes its name. Since its discovery, it has been identified in oxidised zones of copper-arsenic deposits in various parts of the world.

Mineralogy

Hazards and Warnings

Toxic mineral: contains arsenic.

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/Tyrolite
• https://www.mindat.org/min-4070.html
• https://museum.wales/mineralogy-of-wales/database/?mineral=77&name=Tyrolite
• https://webmineral.com/data/Tyrolite.shtml
• https://www.handbookofmineralogy.org/pdfs/tyrolite.pdf