3.7" Lustrous Bustamite Crystals on Galena - Broken Hill, Australia

Lustrous Bustamite Crystals on Galena - Broken Hill, Australia #209339

This is a gorgeous aggregation of brownish-red bustamite crystals that formed over a galena matrix. It comes out of the famous Broken Hill ore-body (Zinc Corporation mine) in New South Wales, Australia. These crystals bear beautiful translucency and exhibit a wonderful luster. The entire specimen measures 3.7" wide, with the largest crystal measuring .9" long.

Bustamite is an interesting mineral with light-pink to brown-pink coloration that can commonly be confused with rhodonite. It is a calcium manganese inosilicate, and a high-temperature polymorph of CaMnSi2O6. The first documented collection of what was believed to be bustamite occurred in Tetela de Jonotla, Mexico, where the mineral was named after Mexican general Anastasio Bustamente. However, what was actually collected in this instance was a mixture of rhodonite and johannsenite (low temperature polymorph of CaMnSi2O6). The accurate type locality is now the Franklin Mine in New Jersey, Unites States.

Bustamite occurs as a result of metamorphism in manganese-bearing sediments. Some additional notable bustamite occurrence localities include Broken Hill (Australia), Kanoiri Mine (Japan), Wessels Mine (South Africa), Jail Hill (US), and Treburland Mine (England).

Chemical Formula - CaMn2+(Si2O6)

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