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www.mineralgallery.co.za Minerals F-J |
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Hausmannite |
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Name
Hausmannite
Chemistry
(Mn+2)(Mn+3)2O 4 , Manganese Oxide
Uses
Ore of manganese and as a mineral specimen
Color
Dark brown or black
Hardness
5.5
Specific gravity
4.8
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psilomelane,
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pyrolusite,
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Bixbyite and
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other manganese minerals.
Hausmannite is an interesting, and can be, when well-formed, a first-rate mineral specimen.
The Kalahari manganese fields have given us some of the world's best Hausmannite samples. The one pictured above is a tetragonal dipyramid, an eight faced form that looks psuedo-octahedral. It is perched on a bed of andradite garnets. The back side has a barite crystal covered with a white mineral that looks like calcite.
Associated minerals include
Hausmannite is one of the main ore minerals of the Kalahari manganese field. What are most sought after by collectors are the pagoda like octahedra that have been found in crystals measuring up to 7.5 cm on edge. When these are perched on a matrix of deep red andradite garnets, stunning specimens are produced.
