Description
This piece is from the Wessels Mine, Hotazel in the Kalahari manganese fields of the Northern Cape province of South Africa. The manganese fields contain the largest deposits of manganese on earth. They also contain over 100 different associated mineral species including inesite. It is a silicate that contains the elements Ca, Mn, Fe, Si, O and H. This specimen consists of a thin plate of radiating clusters of inesite crystals. They have a salmon to rose red color are translucent and have a vitreous luster. The piece measures 2 x 2 x 3/4 inches or 50 x 50 x 19 mm as displayed in the photo.
