Hausmannite with Calcite

This magnificent stepped octahedral crystal of Hausmannite perched on gemmy colourless to white Calcite crystals is from the Wessels mine at Hotazel in the Kalahari Manganese Field of Northern Cape Province in South Africa. Associated with the Calcite are micro-crystallised patches of salmon pink Andradite and a single crystal of pastel yellow Ettringite measuring 8 mm. The largest Calcite crystal is around 2 cm long and is gemmy with a dog tooth termination. On closer inspection and, better still, under low magnification, the Hausmannite crystal is seen to be a composite, built from hundreds of small octahedral crystals in epitaxial alignment. It is an excellent specimen, both aesthetically and in terms of crystallography and mineral associations.