Gondite
“Manganese-rich metamorphic rarity”
Metamorphic
Gondite is a rare, manganese-rich metamorphic rock consisting primarily of spessartine garnet and quartz. It forms from the metamorphism of manganese-rich sediments and is named after the Gond people of central India, near where it was first described.
Composition
spessartine garnet, quartz, rhodonite, rhodochrosite, manganese silicates
Where Found
Nagpur-Bhandara region (India), Madhya Pradesh (India), Ghana, Minas Gerais (Brazil), Namibia
Mohs Hardness
6-7
Fun Fact
Gondite can be so rich in garnet that it's been mined as a garnet ore — the spessartine garnets it contains are the orange-red variety prized in the gem trade.
Test Your Knowledge
Why is gondite named after an indigenous Indian people rather than a geological feature?
Related Specimens
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