Congo Salrose Cobaltoan Calcite Specimen - 56mm, 86g

Locality - Katanga Copper Crescent, Katanga, Democratic Repuplic of Congo
Size – 56 x 42 x 39mm
Weight – 86g

This salrose specimen features excellent coverage of large, platy, deep magenta pink crystals liberally coating the main display face of the piece. This specimen will be accompanied by a locality label.

Salrose, also known as cobaltoan calcite, is a vivid pink variety of calcite containing Co2+ that is highly regarded for its attractive colour. The finest specimens come from the Democratic Republic of Congo and Morocco. Calcite is a carbonate mineral and a major component of sedimentary rocks such as limestone as well as the primary mineral in metamorphic marble, and is one of the most abundant minerals on the Earth. It is found in an astonishingly wide variety of formations and colours, though the most common forms are rhombohedral and scalenohedral crystals with most common colours being clear to white in a transparent to opaque appearance. Calcite is often the primary constituent of the shells of many marine organisms such as plankton and bivalves.