name was given to it from the supposition that it was first
discovered on the Amazon river ; but Haüy says it is a misnomer, as it is found only in the Russian Empire and in Greenland ; but since his day it has been known to occur in other
places. It was discovered at Pike's Peak, Colorado, in 1875,
in a locality retired from any travelled road, imbedded in a
kind of graphic granite, in pockets, at a depth of eight or ten
feet, and extending over a very limited area. Amazon-stone
has also been found in Maine, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and
North Carolina. It occurs in large crystals of a light bluish
green color passing to a dark emerald green, while some specimens are yellowish, flesh color, or white.
Sanssicrite. — This mineral, discovered in the vicinity of
Lake Geneva and named for De Saussure, appears to be a
variety both of zoisite and labradorite ; it is of a pale green
color, passing to nearly black, and is employed as an ornamental stone.
Malachite, Azurite.—Malachite is classed by Haüy with
the inferior precious stones, and, though hardly worthy the
name of gem, it has been used for jewelry, both in ancient and
modern times.
Theophrastus alludes to a species of stone found in coppermines, and called false emeralds, which may have been either
malachite or chrysocolla, since both contain a large per cent of
copper and are found in or near such mines. The molocliitis
of Pliny, obtained from Arabia, of a deep green and nearly
opaque, was, without much doubt, the same as the malachite of
the present day. The name of this species of mineral is derived
from molache, or malache, signifying " mallow," conferred in reference to its color, which resembles the hue of that vegetable.
Malachite is a hydrous carbonate of copper — some scientists
say, the product of decomposed minerals containing copper.
