Manganoan calcite or manganocalcite is a variety of

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 ...

rich in

manganese Manganese is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Mn and atomic number 25. It is a hard, brittle, silvery metal, often found in minerals in combination with iron. Manganese was first isolated in the 1770s. It is a transition m ...

, which gives the mineral a pink color.Manganoan Calcite
at Mindat Its chemical formula is . It was first reported from the Mining District,

Slovak Republic Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's ...

, but is widely distributed around the world, notably in the

Cave of Swords The Naica Mine of the Mexican state of Chihuahua, is a lead, zinc and silver mine. Located in Naica in the municipality of Saucillo, the Naica Mine is owned by Industrias Peñoles, the world's largest silver producer. Caverns discovered durin ...

at Naica, Chihuahua, Mexico as well as in

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

. Manganoan calcite is sometimes confused with

rhodochrosite Rhodochrosite is a manganese carbonate mineral with chemical composition Manganese(II) carbonate, MnCO3. In its pure form (rare), it is typically a rose-red colour, but it can also be shades of pink to pale brown. It Streak (mineralogy), streak ...

. The amount of manganese in manganoan calcite varies at different localities, and the mineral forms a

solid solution A solid solution, a term popularly used for metals, is a homogeneous mixture of two compounds in solid state and having a single crystal structure. Many examples can be found in metallurgy, geology, and solid-state chemistry. The word "solutio ...

series between calcite and rhodochrosite, with the color becoming redder with a higher proportion of manganese.

References

External links

Photo of Manganoan Calcite
at the

University of Delaware The University of Delaware (colloquially known as UD, UDel, or Delaware) is a Statutory college#Delaware, privately governed, state-assisted Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Newark, Delaware, United States. UD offers f ...

Manganoan Calcite Gallery
Carbonate minerals Calcium minerals Manganese(II) minerals {{Carbonate-mineral-stub

See also

References

External links