- Magnesite
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Magnesite 
General Category Carbonate mineral Chemical formula MgCO3 Strunz classification 05.AB.05 Identification Color Colorless, white, pale yellow, pale brown, faintly pink, lilac-rose Crystal habit Usually massive, rarely as rhombohedrons or hexagonal prisms Crystal system Trigonal - Hexagonal Scalenohedral H-M Symbol 32/m Space Group: R3c Cleavage [1011] perfect Fracture Conchoidal Tenacity Brittle Mohs scale hardness 3.5 - 4.5 Luster Vitreous Streak white Diaphaneity Transparent to translucent Specific gravity 3.0 - 3.2 Optical properties Uniaxial (-) Refractive index nω=1.508 - 1.510 nε=1.700 Fusibility infusible Solubility Effervesces in hot HCl Other characteristics May exhibit pale green to pale blue fluorescence and phosphorescence under UV; triboluminescent References [1][2][3][4] Magnesite is magnesium carbonate, MgCO3. Iron (as Fe2+) substitutes for magnesium (Mg) with a complete solution series with siderite, FeCO3. Calcium, manganese, cobalt, and nickel may also occur in small amounts. Dolomite, (Mg,Ca)CO3, is almost indistinguishable from magnesite.
Contents
Occurrence
Magnesite occurs as veins in and an alteration product of ultramafic rocks, serpentinite and other magnesium rich rock types in both contact and regional metamorphic terranes. These magnesites often are cryptocrystalline and contain silica as opal or chert.
Magnesite is also present within the regolith above ultramafic rocks as a secondary carbonate within soil and subsoil, where it is deposited as a consequence of dissolution of magnesium-bearing minerals by carbon dioxide within groundwaters.
Formation
Magnesite can be formed via talc carbonate metasomatism of peridotite and other ultrabasic rocks. Magnesite is formed via carbonation of olivine in the presence of water and carbon dioxide, and is favored at moderate temperatures and pressures typical of greenschist facies;
Magnesite can also be formed via the carbonation of magnesian serpentine (lizardite) via the following reaction:
Serpentine + carbon dioxide → Talc + magnesite + Water- 2Mg3Si2O5(OH)4 + 3CO2 → Mg3Si4O10(OH)2 + 3MgCO3 + H2O
Forsterite magnesia-rich olivine compositions favor production of magnesite from peridotite. Fayalitic (iron-rich) olivine favors production of magnetite-magnesite-silica compositions.
Magnesite can also be formed from metasomatism in skarn deposits, in dolomitic limestones, associated with wollastonite, periclase, and talc.
Magnesite is also found in a number of Precambrian carbonate hosted sediments, and is thought to have formed as an evaporite.
Uses
Magnesite can be used as a slag former in steelmaking furnaces, in conjunction with lime, to protect the magnesium oxide lining. It can also be used as a catalyst and filler in the production of synthetic rubber and in the preparation of magnesium chemicals and fertilizers.
Similar to the production of lime, magnesite can be burned in the presence of charcoal to produce MgO, otherwise known as periclase. Such periclase is an important product in refractory materials.
Magnesite can also be used as a binder in flooring material.
In fire assay, magnesite cupels can be used for cupellation as the magnesite cupel will resist the high temperatures involved.
References
- ^ http://rruff.geo.arizona.edu/doclib/hom/magnesite.pdf Handbook of Mineralogy
- ^ http://www.mindat.org/min-2482.html Mindat.org
- ^ http://webmineral.com/data/Magnesite.shtml Webmineral data
- ^ Klein, Cornelis and Cornelius S. Hurlbut, Jr., Manual of Mineralogy, Wiley, 20th ed., p. 332 ISBN 0-471-80580-7
- Smithsonian Rock and Gem ISBN 0-7566-0962-3
Categories:- Magnesium minerals
- Carbonate minerals
- Calcite group
- Trigonal minerals
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