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www.mineralgallery.co.za Minerals A-E |
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Bustamite |
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Name
Bustamite
Chemistry
(Mn.Ca)SiO3 Manganese calcium silicate
Uses
As a minor ore of manganese and also as an ornamental stone. See our cabochons in this beautiful mineral.
Color
Pink, it can tarnish to brown
Hardness
3
Specific gravity
2.9-3.4
Bustamite belongs to the silicates group. Crystals are rare. It is usually in a massive form, sometimes grainy or fibrous. It is translucent and vitreous. It fractures unevenly and can be brittle. The streak is white. It is known as the calcium rich variety of rhodonite. Rhodonite is a darker pink.
Here in South Africa it is found with sugilite and richterite in the Kalahari manganese fields. See the calcium manganese combination in it's chemistry.
