80 - Rhodochrosite

ID	80
Mineral	Rhodochrosite
Location	Capillitas mining district - Andalgala - Catamarca - Argentina
Fluorescence	LW-UV: close SW-UV: close
Mindat.org	View Rhodochrosite information at mindat.org

ID	3406
Long ID	1:1:3406:3
Formula	`Mn(CO₃)`
IMA Status	0 1
Other Occurrences	Low to moderate temperature hydrothermal veins, metamorphic deposits, carbonatites, sedimentary deposits.
Discovery Year	1813
Diapheny	Transparent,Translucent
Cleavage	On {10_11}.
Tenacity	brittle
Colour	Pink, rose, red, yellowish-grey, brown, white, gray; colourless to pale rose in transmitted light
Hardness (min)	3.5
Hardness (max)	4.0
Lustre	Vitreous
About the name	Named in 1813 by Johann Friedrich Ludwig Hausmann from the Greek ρόδο, "rose", and χρώς, "coloring", referring to its color.
Streak	White
Crystal System	Trigonal
Cleavage Type	Perfect
Fracture type	Irregular/Uneven,Conchoidal
Morphology	Crystals rhombohedral {10_11} or less commonly {01_12}, then frequently rounded and composite; scalenohedral rare; thick tabular {0001}; prismatic [0001]. {11_20} and {21_31} often striated [1_10_1]. Massive, coarsely granular; compact; columnar; crusts; stalactitic (with zoned growth rings); botryoidal. For habits see:Rhodochrosite Habits.
Twinning	On {01_12}, lamellar, uncommon.
UV	None.
Thermal Behaviour	Begins to dissociate at about 300˚ with the formation of CO2 and MnO.
shortcode_ima	Rds
Group	Calcite Group

Rhodochrosite