Shigaite with Rhodochrosite

specimen number:
2062065

location:
Bengal (Cannon) Mine, Iron River, Michigan, USA

description:

An exceptional example of this rarity from Michigan. A rosette of deep red sharp and lustrous crystals of shigaite measuring 1.3 cm across the set perfectly up on matrix. This is in terrific condition. The specimen is figured in Rocks and Minerals magazine, volume 75, page 98. Rhodochrosite is in association.

Shigaite is a rare hydrated sodium aluminum manganese sulfate mineral that forms in the oxidized zones of manganese rich deposits. It typically occurs as small pink to reddish platy crystals or rosette like aggregates. The mineral was first described from Japan and is known from only a few localities worldwide, including South Africa and Michigan.

The Bengal Mine near Iron River in Iron County, Michigan, is a small historic iron mining locality in the Menominee Range. Mining in the area took place during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, focusing on iron rich deposits in Precambrian rocks. The mine is also known among mineral collectors for producing a variety of secondary minerals formed in the oxidized zones, including rare manganese minerals.

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