This flat contains a varied selection of Grandviewite, Osarizawait, and Parnauite crystals from the well known Grandview Mine in the Grand Canyon. The specimens mainly consist of crusty to fine grained crystal aggregates showing characteristic green, turquoise, yellow, and locally blue colors. Individual crystals are locally recognizable, but most specimens are tightly intergrown and form continuous crystal surfaces. The flat provides an excellent overview of the different habits typical for this mineral association.
Geology & Origin
The Grandview Mine in the Grand Canyon is a classic locality for rare secondary copper minerals. Grandviewite, Osarizawait, and Parnauite form here as arsenates and phosphates within the oxidation zone of copper rich veins. Their close paragenetic association is characteristic for the locality and makes such flats particularly valuable for systematic mineral collections and comparative paragenetic studies.