Description
This olmiite 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 contains over one 100 different associated mineral species including olmiite It is a silicate that contains the elements Ca, Mn, Si, O and H. This specimen consists of a plate of rolling clusters of olmiite crystals. The crystals are in spherical formations and vary in color from light to dark pink. They have a glistening, glassy luster. There is minor matrix on the back side. This piece measures 2 3/4 x 1 1/2 x 1 inches or 70 x 38 x 25 mm.
