Thulite (sometimes called rosaline) is a translucent, crystalline or massive pink

manganese Manganese is a chemical element with the symbol Mn and atomic number 25. It is a hard, brittle, silvery metal, often found in minerals in combination with iron. Manganese is a transition metal with a multifaceted array of industrial alloy use ...

-bearing variety of the

mineral In geology and mineralogy, a mineral or mineral species is, broadly speaking, a solid chemical compound with a fairly well-defined chemical composition and a specific crystal structure that occurs naturally in pure form.John P. Rafferty, ed. ( ...

zoisite Zoisite, first known as saualpite, after its type locality, is a calcium aluminium hydroxy sorosilicate belonging to the epidote group of minerals. Its chemical formula is Ca2 Al3( Si O4)(Si2O7)O(O H). Zoisite occurs as prismatic, orthorhombi ...

. Manganese substitutes for calcium in the structure with up to two percent Mn²⁺. Thulite is often mottled with white

calcite Calcite is a Carbonate minerals, carbonate mineral and the most stable Polymorphism (materials science), polymorph of calcium carbonate (CaCO3). It is a very common mineral, particularly as a component of limestone. Calcite defines hardness 3 on ...

and occurs as veins and fracture fillings transecting many types of rock. In

mineralogical Mineralogy is a subject of geology specializing in the scientific study of the chemistry, crystal structure, and physical (including optical) properties of minerals and mineralized artifacts. Specific studies within mineralogy include the proce ...

literature, thulite may sometimes refer to any pink zoisite. ''Clinothulite'' is the manganese bearing variety of monoclinic

clinozoisite Clinozoisite is a complex calcium aluminium sorosilicate mineral with formula: Ca2Al3(Si2O7)(SiO4)O(OH). It forms a continuous solid solution series with epidote by substitution of iron(III) in the aluminium (m3 site) and is also called ''aluminiu ...

. Thulite was first discovered at a place called

Sauland Sauland is a village (parish) and the administrative center in Hjartdal municipality in Telemark county. The population is above 800 people in 2016, which equates over half of all households in the whole municipality. The village is placed in the ...

Telemark Telemark is a traditional region, a former county, and a current electoral district in southern Norway. In 2020, Telemark merged with the former county of Vestfold to form the county of Vestfold og Telemark. Telemark borders the traditional ...

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

in 1820.Mindat with location data
It is named after the mythical island of

Thule Thule ( grc-gre, Θούλη, Thoúlē; la, Thūlē) is the most northerly location mentioned in ancient Greek literature, ancient Greek and Latin literature, Roman literature and cartography. Modern interpretations have included Orkney, Shet ...

in the belief that the island is Scandinavia. Thulite is used as a gemstone and carving material in the manufacture of jewelry and ornamental objects. Thulite is also found in the

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

Tyrol Tyrol (; historically the Tyrole; de-AT, Tirol ; it, Tirolo) is a historical region in the Alps - in Northern Italy and western Austria. The area was historically the core of the County of Tyrol, part of the Holy Roman Empire, Austrian Emp ...

and in

Mitchell County, North Carolina Mitchell County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 14,903. Its county seat is Bakersville, North Carolina, Bakersville, population ...

. A new, more recent find of a small quantity of thulite was discovered near

Riverside Riverside may refer to: Places Australia * Riverside, Tasmania, a suburb of Launceston, Tasmania Canada * Riverside (electoral district), in the Yukon * Riverside, Calgary, a neighbourhood in Alberta * Riverside, Manitoba, a former rural m ...

Okanogan County Okanogan County () is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington along the Canada–U.S. border. As of the 2020 census, the population was 42,104. The county seat is Okanogan, while the largest city is Omak. Its area is the largest in ...

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

, US and in

Snillfjord Snillfjord is a former municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1924 until its dissolution in 2020 when it was split between the municipalities of Hitra, Heim, and Orkland. It was part of the Fosen region. The ad ...

i Trøndelag, Norway during tunnel constructions in December 2018. Thulite is also found in New Zealand in the Otago region of the South Island.

References

Gemstones Sorosilicates Manganese(II) minerals Minerals in space group 62 {{silicate-mineral-stub