Home > Kalahari Manganese Field – March 18 > MS0902 Prehnite

Prehnite - Sold


Prehnite is a hydrated calcium silicate, named after discoverer Colonel Hendrik von Prehn (1733-1785). The mineral is often pale green from a minor iron content. However, in the Kalahari Manganese Field, manganese is a ubiquitious element, and it finds its way into the crystal structures of normally manganese free minerals. In this case, manganese imparts an orange color to the prehnite. These unusual prehnite specimens came out in 2000, and stunned the collecting community for their unusual color and form of the mineral. The orange prehnite needles cluster into a radiating balls, here 3.5 cm across, with minor white chalky oyelite and red 6-7 mm crystals of inesite. Former Marshall Sussman Kalahari collection specimen.