Manganite

specimen number:
2262205

location:
Ilfeld, Harztor, Nordhausen, Thuringia, Germany

description:
A classic German specimen with lustrous black prismatic crystals of manganite to 0.4 cm in size across the top of matrix with minor white barite. This is in good condition. The specimen comes with an antique data card as shown at the end of the video.

The Ilfeld mining district, located on the southern margin of the Harz Mountains in Thuringia, Germany, is globally recognized as the premier locality for the world's finest crystallized manganite specimens. Geologically, the deposits are hosted within a series of hydrothermal veins that cut through Permian-age volcanic rocks, specifically porphyrites and amygdaloidal melaphyres. These veins formed as low-temperature mineralizations where manganese-rich fluids precipitated manganite as magnificent, lustrous, jet-black to steel-gray prismatic crystals, often occurring in spectacular radiating groups or thick bundles associated with barite, calcite, and hausmannite. Historically, mining and underground quarrying in the Ilfeld area for manganese began in the late 18th century, with the most significant period of specimen production occurring between 1820 and 1890. Small-scale operations, such as those at the Glueckauf and Neue Hoffnung mines, targeted these high-grade manganese pockets until the late 19th century when competition from larger industrial deposits rendered the narrow veins uneconomic.

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