Roweite

specimen number:
2072073

location:
Shijiangshan mine, Yinwu, Linxi, Ulanhad League, Inner Mongolia, China

description:
Rich bladed crystals across the front of matrix. In good condition and quite choice for this rare mineral.

The Shijiangshan Mine is located in the Hexigten Banner of Chifeng, Inner Mongolia, China, and has recently emerged as a significant locality for rare and well-crystallized minerals. Geologically, the deposit is a skarn system formed by the interaction of Mesozoic granitic intrusions with Paleozoic limestone and sedimentary rocks. This contact metamorphism resulted in a complex mineralogical environment rich in iron, lead, and zinc, as well as a variety of unusual borate and silicate minerals. While the mine was initially developed for industrial ore production, it gained international attention among mineral collectors around 2015 for its exceptional specimens of borates and sulfides. The geology is characterized by large replacement bodies and hydrothermal veins that have yielded world-class crystals of minerals like andradite garnet, babingtonite, and various rare species that are seldom found in such aesthetic forms elsewhere in the world.

Roweite is a rare calcium manganese borate mineral that was first discovered and described from the Franklin Mine in New Jersey, USA, in 1937. It typically forms as small, lath-like or prismatic crystals and is known for its light brown to honey-yellow or flesh-pink coloration. Chemically, roweite is a hydroxide borate that crystallizes in the orthorhombic system. While it remained a mineralogical rarity for decades, the Shijiangshan Mine in China recently produced what are considered the finest specimens of the species ever found. These Chinese examples occur as relatively large, sharp, tabular crystals with a distinct brownish-orange hue, often found in association with white calcite or dark hedenbergite. The discovery at Shijiangshan has provided researchers and collectors with the first opportunity to study large, high-quality crystals of this species, which was previously known mostly as microscopic or massive aggregates.

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