Rhodochrosite - wikipedia Rhodochrosite Rhodochrosite General Carbonate minerals Formula ( repeating unit ) MnCO Strunz classification 5. AB. 05 Crystal system Trigonal Crystal class Hexagonal scalenohedral ( 3m ) H-M symbol : ( 3 2 / m ) Space group R3c Unit cell a = 4.777, c = 15.67 ( Å ) ; Z = 6 Identification Formula mass 114.95 g / mol Color Pink, rose - red, cherry - red, yellow, yellowish gray, cinnamon - brown, may be banded Crystal habit Rhombohedral and scalenohedral crystals ; also commonly bladed, columnar, stalactitic, botryoidal, granular or massive Twinning On ( 10 12 ) as contact and lamellar Cleavage On ( 10 11 ) perfect ; parting on ( 10 12 ) Fracture Uneven, conchoidal Tenacity Brittle Mohs scale hardness 3.5 - 4 Luster Vitreous to pearly Streak White Diaphaneity Transparent to translucent Specific gravity 3.7 Optical properties Uniaxial ( - ) Refractive index n = 1.814 - 1.816 n = 1.596 - 1.598 Birefringence δ = 0.218 Pleochroism weak Ultraviolet fluorescence None References Rhodochrosite is a manganese carbonate mineral with chemical composition MnCO. In its ( rare ) pure form, it is typically a rose - red color, but impure specimens can be shades of pink to pale brown. It streaks white, and its Mohs hardness varies between 3.5 and 4. Its specific gravity is between 3.5 and 3.7. It crystallizes in the trigonal system, and cleaves with rhombohedral carbonate cleavage in three directions. Crystal twinning often is present. It is transparent to translucent with refractive indices of nω = 1.814 to 1.816, nε = 1.596 to 1.598. It is often confused with the manganese silicate, rhodonite, but is distinctly softer. Rhodochrosite forms a complete solid solution series with iron carbonate ( siderite ). Calcium, ( as well as magnesium and zinc, to a limited extent ) frequently substitutes for manganese in the structure, leading to lighter shades of red and pink, depending on the degree of substitution. It is for this reason that the most common color encountered is pink. Contents 1 Occurrence and discovery 2 Use 2.1 Rhodochrosite and silver mining 3 Culture 4 Gallery 5 See also 6 References Occurrence and discovery Rhodochrosite occurs as a hydrothermal vein mineral along with other manganese minerals in low temperature ore deposits as in the silver mines of Romania where it was first found. Banded rhodochrosite is mined in Capillitas, Argentina. It was first described in 1813 in reference to a sample from Cavnic, Maramureş, present - day Romania. According to Dimitrescu and Radulescu, 1966 and to Papp, 1997, this mineral was described for the first time in Sacaramb, Romania, not in Cavnic, Romania. The name is derived from the Greek word ῥοδόχρως meaning rose - colored. Use Its main use is as an ore of manganese, which is a key component of low - cost stainless steel formulations and certain aluminium alloys. Quality banded specimens are often used for decorative stones and jewelry. Due to its being relatively soft, and having perfect cleavage, it is very difficult to cut, and therefore rarely found faceted in jewelry. Rhodochrosite and silver mining Manganese carbonate is extremely destructive to the amalgamation process used in the concentration of silver ores, and so until quality mineral specimens became highly sought after by collectors, they were often discarded on the mine dump. Culture Stereo image show Left frame hide Right frame show Parallel view ( ) show Cross-eye view ( ) Small Rhodochrosite specimen featured in a mineral kit, from Wuton mine, Guangxi prov, China. Rhodochrosite is Argentina 's `` national gemstone ''. Colorado officially named rhodochrosite as its state mineral in 2002. Large specimens have been found in the Sweet Home Mine near Alma, Colorado. It is sometimes called `` Rosa del Inca '', `` Inca Rose '' or Rosinca. Gallery `` The Searchlight, '' Large red rhodochrosite from Sweet Home Mine, Alma, Colorado Rhodochrosite with fluorite, tetrahedrite and quartz Pink is the most common color of Rhodochrosite. Specimen mined near Silverton, Colorado The Alma King is the largest known rhodochrosite crystal ; it was found in the Sweet Home Mine near Alma, Colorado. It is on display in the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. Exhibit in La Plata Museum, La Plata, Argentina The Alma Rose specimen from the Sweet Home Mine in Alma, CO. Located at the Rice Northwest Museum of Rocks and Minerals in Hillsboro, OR. See also Manganoan Calcite Wikimedia Commons has media related to Rhodochrosite. Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article Rhodochrosite. References Jump up ^ Handbook of Mineralogy Jump up ^ Rhodochrosite data on Mindat Jump up ^ Rhodochrosite data on Webmineral Jump up ^ `` Piedra nacional : la Rodocrosita '' ( in Spanish ). Embassy of the Argentine Republic in the Colombian Republic. Retrieved 7 October 2013. Jump up ^ Moreno, María ( 9 November 2002 ). `` La piedra argentina '' ( in Spanish ). Página / 12. Retrieved 7 October 2013. Jump up ^ `` Colorado State Archives ; Symbols & Emblems ''. Retrieved 2 February 2012. Jump up ^ R. V. Dietrich ( 2005 - 07 - 16 ). `` Rhodochrosite ''. Retrieved 2007 - 08 - 15. Hurlbut, Cornelius S. ; Klein, Cornelis, 1985, Manual of Mineralogy, 20th ed., ISBN 0 - 471 - 80580 - 7. Manganese minerals Borates Sussexite Tusionite Carbonates Ankerite Kutnohorite Rhodochrosite Manganoan Calcite Oxides Simple Hausmannite Manganite Manganosite Nsutite Pyrolusite Mixed Birnessite Bixbyite Ferrocolumbite Ferrotantalite Galaxite Jacobsite Manganotantalite Psilomelane Romanèchite Tantalite Todorokite Umber Phosphates Childrenite Graftonite Lithiophilite Natrophilite Purpurite Triplite Triploidite Zanazziite Silicates Babingtonite Bixbite Braunite Brownleeite Calderite Chloritoid Eudialyte Glaucochroite Jeffersonite Knebelite Ottrelite Piemontite Pyroxferroite Rhodonite Spessartine Sugilite Tephroite Zakharovite Zircophyllite Sulfides Alabandite Hauerite Rambergite Other Axinite ( borosilicate ) Geigerite ( arsenate ) Manganese nodule ( various ) Samsonite ( Sulfosalt ) Zincobotryogen ( sulfate ) Wolframite Hübnerite National symbols of Argentina National flag ( List of flags ) Coat of arms Cockade Sun of May Himno Nacional Argentino ( National anthem ) En unión y libertad ( Motto ) Logo José de San Martín ( Father of the Fatherland ) Effigy of the Republic - Gaucho ( National personifications ) Ceibo ( National tree ) Red Quebracho ( National forest tree ) Ceibo flower ( Floral emblem ) Hornero ( National animal / National bird ) Rhodochrosite ( National stone ) Pato ( National sport ) Wine ( National liquor ) Asado - Locro ( National dishes ) Our Lady of Luján ( Patron saint ) Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Rhodochrosite&oldid=860325001 '' Categories : Carbonate minerals Manganese minerals Symbols of Colorado Trigonal minerals National symbols of Argentina Hidden categories : CS1 Spanish - language sources ( es ) All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from August 2016 Talk Contents About Wikipedia Azərbaycanca Bosanski Català Deutsch Ελληνικά Español فارسی Français Galego Italiano עברית ქართული Қазақша Latviešu Magyar Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk nynorsk Occitan Oʻzbekcha / ўзбекча Polski Português Română Русский Slovenčina Српски / srpski Suomi Svenska Українська Tiếng Việt 21 more Edit links This page was last edited on 19 September 2018, at 21 : 58 ( UTC ). 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Question: where is rhodochrosite found in the united states
Answer: Colorado