Rhodochrosite

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Rhodochrosite
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Rhodochrosite

• Chemistry MnCO3, Manganese Carbonate
• Class Carbonates
• Group Calcite Group
• Uses As a minor ore of manganese, an ornamental
  and semi-precious gemstone and as mineral
  specimens.

From http//mineral.galleries.com/minerals/carbon
at/rhodochr/rhodochr.htm
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PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS

• Color is red to pink, sometimes almost white,
  yellow and brown.
• Luster is vitreous to resinous.
• Transparency Crystals are transparent to
  translucent.
• Crystal System is trigonal bar 3 2/m.
• Crystal Habits include the rhombohedrons and
  scalahedrons with rounded or curved faces that
  can obscure the crystal shape. Some crystals can
  be flattened to a bladed habit and these are
  sometimes aggregated into rosettes or minute
  crystals into spherules. Also botryoidal,
  globular, stalactitic, layered, nodular,
  vein-filling and granular. Twinning is somewhat
  common forming penetration twins and contact
  twins similar to calcite's twins.
• Cleavage is perfect in three directions forming
  rhombohedrons.
• Fracture is uneven.
• Hardness is 3.5 - 4.
• Specific Gravity is approximately 3.5 (above
  average)
• Streak is white.
• Other Characteristics Pink and white banding in
  massive forms, non-fluorescence and specimens
  effervesce easily with dilute acids.
• Associated Minerals include calcite, ankerite,
  alabandite, rhodonite, bementite, spessartine,
  fluorite, manganite, quartz and many metal
  sulfides.
• Best Field Indicators are color, crystal habit,
  reaction to acid, non-fluorescence and perfect
  cleavage.

From http//mineral.galleries.com/minerals/carbon
at/rhodochr/rhodochr.htm
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Occurrence

• Sweet Home Mine, Alma, Park County and American
  Tunnel, Silverton, Colorado Butte, Montana the
  mines of Franklin, New Jersey Humboldt Mine,
  Cochise County, Arizona and many sites in
  California, USA.
• Also found in Catamarca, Argentine Huaron Mine
  and several mines in Ancash Department, Peru
  Kara oba, Kazakhatan Sacrimb, Transylvania,
  Romania Cornwall, England Harz Mountains,
  Germany Tsumeb, Otavi, Namibia Santa Eulalia
  and Magdalena, Mexico N'Chwanging Mine, Hotazel,
  South Africa Mont Saint-Hilaire, Quebec, Canada
  and many other localities from around the world.

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Uses

• Jewelery
• Manganese ore
• Component in steel production
• Component in aluminum alloys

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From http//mineral.galleries.com/minerals/carbon
at/rhodochr/rhodochr.htm