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Magnesite Mineral Data

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General Magnesite Information

Help on Chemical  Formula: Chemical Formula: MgCO3
Help on Composition: Composition: Molecular Weight = 84.31 gm
   Magnesium  28.83 %  Mg   47.80 % MgO
   Carbon     14.25 %  C    52.20 % CO2
   Oxygen     56.93 %  O
             ______        ______ 
             100.00 %      100.00 % = TOTAL OXIDE
Help on Empirical Formula: Empirical Formula: Mg(CO3)
Help on Environment: Environment: Evaporite mineral in sedimentary rocks.
Help on IMA Status: IMA Status: Valid Species (Pre-IMA) 1807
Help on Locality: Locality: Magnis�a (Magnesia) Prefecture, Thessalia (Thessaly) Department, Greece Link to MinDat.org Location Data.
Help on Name Origin: Name Origin: Named after its chemical composition.
Help on Name Pronunciation: Name Pronunciation: Magnesite + Pronunciation Say MAGNESITE
Help on Synonym: Synonym: Bitter spar
  Hoshiite - Ni-bearing magnesite
  ICSD 80870
  PDF 8-479
 

Magnesite Image

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  Magnesite

Comments: Magnesite crystal group. The crystals have rhombic habit. The largest on this specimen is 3.7 cm across.
Location: Brumado Mine, Bahia, Brazil. Scale: Photo by John Veevaert.
© John Veevaert

Magnesite Crystallography

Help on Axial Ratios: Axial Ratios: a:c = 1:3.27001
Help on Cell Dimensions: Cell Dimensions: a = 4.633, c = 15.15, Z = 6; V = 281.62 Den(Calc)= 2.98
Help on Crystal System: Crystal System: Trigonal - Hexagonal Scalenohedral H-M Symbol (3 2/m) Space Group: R 3c
Help on X Ray Diffraction: X Ray Diffraction: By Intensity(I/Io): 2.742(1), 2.102(0.45), 1.7(0.35),
Help on Forms: Forms:

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Drag1 - Manipulate Crystal
Drag2 - Resize

Keyboard
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I - Indicies
<space> - Start-Stop Rotation
F - Fit to Screen
M - Menu

Help on Above

Forms: ( 1 0 0) ( 1 1 0) ( 0 1 1) ( 0 0 1)

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Physical Properties of Magnesite

Help on Cleavage: Cleavage: {1011} Perfect, {1011} Perfect, {1011} Perfect
Help on Color: Color: Colorless, White, Grayish white, Yellowish white, Brownish white.
Help on Density: Density: 3
Help on Diaphaneity: Diaphaneity: Transparent to translucent to opaque
Help on Fracture: Fracture: Brittle - Conchoidal - Very brittle fracture producing small, conchoidal fragments.
Help on Habit: Habit: Earthy - Dull, clay-like texture with no visible crystalline affinities, (e.g. howlite).
Help on Habit: Habit: Massive - Fibrous - Distinctly fibrous fine-grained forms.
Help on Habit: Habit: Massive - Granular - Common texture observed in granite and other igneous rock.
Help on Hardness: Hardness: 4 - Fluorite
Help on Luminescence: Luminescence: Fluorescent, Short UV=blue white, Long UV=bright blue white.
Help on Luster: Luster: Vitreous (Glassy)
Help on Streak: Streak: white
 

Optical Properties of Magnesite

Help on Gladstone-Dale: Gladstone-Dale: CI meas= 0.021 (Excellent) - where the CI = (1-KPDmeas/KC)
CI calc= 0.014 (Superior) - where the CI = (1-KPDcalc/KC)
KPDcalc= 0.2029,KPDmeas= 0.2015,KC= 0.2057
Ncalc = 1.61 - 1.62
Help on Optical Data: Optical Data: Uniaxial (-), e=1.7, w=1.508-1.51, bire=0.1900-0.1920.
 

Calculated Properties of Magnesite

Help on Electron Density: Electron Density: Bulk Density (Electron Density)=2.97 gm/cc
note: Specific Gravity of Magnesite =2.98 gm/cc.
Help on Fermion Index: Fermion Index: Fermion Index = 0.03
Boson Index = 0.97
Help on Photoelectric: Photoelectric: PEMagnesite = 0.83 barns/electron
U=PEMagnesite x rElectron Density= 2.45 barns/cc.
Help on Radioactivity: Radioactivity: GRapi = 0 (Gamma Ray American Petroleum Institute Units)
Magnesite is Not Radioactive
 

Magnesite Classification

Help on  Dana Class: Dana Class: 14.01.01.02 (14)Anhydrous Carbonates
  (14.01)with Simple Formula A+ CO3
  (14.01.01)Calcite Group (Trigonal: R-3c)
 
14.01.01.01 Calcite CaCO3 R 3c 3 2/m
 
14.01.01.02 Magnesite MgCO3 R 3c 3 2/m
 
14.01.01.03 Siderite FeCO3 R 3c 3 2/m
 
14.01.01.04 Rhodochrosite MnCO3 R 3c 3 2/m
 
14.01.01.05 Sphaerocobaltite CoCO3 R 3c 3 2/m
 
14.01.01.06 Smithsonite ZnCO3 R 3c 3 2/m
 
14.01.01.07 Otavite CdCO3 R 3c 3 2/m
 
14.01.01.08 Gaspeite (Ni,Mg,Fe)CO3 R 3c 3 2/m
Help on  Strunz Class: Strunz Class: 05.AB.05 05 - CARBONATES (NITRATES)
  05.A - Carbonates without additional anions, without H2O
  05.AB -Alkali-earth (and other M2+) carbonates
 
05.AB.05 Calcite CaCO3 R 3c 3 2/m
 
05.AB.05 Gaspeite (Ni,Mg,Fe)CO3 R 3c 3 2/m
 
05.AB.05 Magnesite MgCO3 R 3c 3 2/m
 
05.AB.05 Rhodochrosite MnCO3 R 3c 3 2/m
 
05.AB.05 Otavite CdCO3 R 3c 3 2/m
 
05.AB.05 Sphaerocobaltite CoCO3 R 3c 3 2/m
 
05.AB.05 Siderite FeCO3 R 3c 3 2/m
 
05.AB.05 Smithsonite ZnCO3 R 3c 3 2/m
 

Other Magnesite Information

Help on References: References: NAME( Duda&Rejl90) PHYS. PROP.(Collectors Book of Fluorescent Minerals) OPTIC PROP.(Enc. of Minerals,2nd ed.,1990)
Help on See Also: See Also: Links to other databases for Magnesite :
1 - Alkali-Nuts(English)
2 - Alkali-Nuts(Francais)
3 - Am. Min. Crystal Structure Database
4 - Amethyst Galleries' Mineral Gallery
5 - Athena
6 - EUROmin Project
7 - Ecole des Mines de Paris
8 - GeoScienceWorld
9 - Glendale Community College
10 - Google Images
11 - Google Scholar
12 - Handbook of Mineralogy (MinSocAm)
13 - Handbook of Mineralogy (UofA)
14 - HyperPhysics
15 - MinDAT
16 - Mineral and Gemstone Kingdom
17 - Mineralienatlas (Deutsch)
18 - Online Mineral Museum
19 - QUT Mineral Atlas
20 - Ruff.Info
21 - Scandinavian mineral gallery
22 - University of Colorado - Mineral Structure Data
23 - WWW-MINCRYST
24 - theimage

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Print or Cut-and-Paste your Magnesite Specimen Label here :

Magnesite

MgCO3
Dana No: 14.01.01.02 Strunz No: 05.AB.05
Locality:

 

Notes:

 

 
   
 


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