Rhodochrosite

This specimen is Rhodochrosite from the Zinc Corporation Mine, Broken Hill, New South Wales, Australia, measuring 43 x 38 x 22 mm and weighing 38 g. It is drawn from the David Vince Collection. Rhodochrosite is a manganese carbonate, recognised for a characteristic pink-to-rose-red colour that makes it one of the more readily identifiable members of the carbonate group. Manganese is a significant component of the ore chemistry at Broken Hill, and Rhodochrosite occurs there as a genuine part of the orebody's own mineral assemblage rather than as a later introduction, alongside other manganese-bearing species recorded from the field. The Zinc Corporation Mine is one of the historically important individual workings within the wider Broken Hill deposit. At 43 x 38 x 22 mm and 38 g, this is a small specimen, well suited to a thumbnail or miniature display where its colour reads clearly without requiring greater mass. Rhodochrosite can fade or alter with prolonged exposure to strong light, so a stable display position away from direct sunlight is advisable. The specimen's documented provenance is the David Vince Collection.