Home > Kalahari Manganese Field – March 18 > MS0909 Todorokite
Todorokite - Sold
- Smartt mine
- Kalahari Manganese Field
- Northern Cape Province
- South Africa
- 5.8 by 4.7 by 3.0 cm – Small cabinet specimen (under 10 cm)
Todorokite is a complex hydrated manganese oxide mineral with large cation bearing tunnels in its crystal structure (Post & Bish, 1988). The mineral name follows from its original occurrence in the Todoroki mine, Japan (Yoshimura, 1934). Recently, Gutzmer & Beukes (2000) characterized certain asbestiform manganese minerals at the Smartt mine, which intially form as fibrous manjiroite but alter to todorokite and infill with calcite. This specimen shows two bands, the wider measures 2.0 cm across, with fibrous black todorokite in braunite lutite matrix. Interesting material!
