{"title":"Cobaltocalcite","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCobaltocalcite\u003c\/strong\u003e, more correctly termed \u003cstrong\u003ecobaltoan calcite\u003c\/strong\u003e, is a vividly pink-to-rose-red variety of \u003cstrong\u003ecalcite\u003c\/strong\u003e in which \u003cstrong\u003ecobalt\u003c\/strong\u003e (Co²⁺) substitutes for calcium within the (Ca,Co)CO₃ lattice. As a member of the \u003cstrong\u003ecalcite group\u003c\/strong\u003e, it shares calcite's trigonal symmetry, perfect rhombohedral cleavage and Mohs hardness of 3, but the cobalt chromophore gives it a saturated magenta-pink color unmatched among common carbonates. It is frequently confused in the trade with the much rarer \u003cstrong\u003espherocobaltite\u003c\/strong\u003e, the true cobalt end-member carbonate (CoCO₃), and with cobalt-bearing dolomite sold under the trade name \"Salrose\"; genuine cobaltocalcite is calcium-dominant, while spherocobaltite is cobalt-dominant and typically shows deeper raspberry to crimson tones.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe most important source of fine cobaltocalcite specimens today is the \u003cstrong\u003eBou Azzer\u003c\/strong\u003e mining district in Morocco's Anti-Atlas, particularly the \u003cstrong\u003eAgoudal Mine\u003c\/strong\u003e and \u003cstrong\u003eAghbar Mine\u003c\/strong\u003e, where lustrous pink druzy crusts and sharp rhombohedral crystals form in association with \u003cstrong\u003ecobaltite\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003eskutterudite\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003echalcopyrite\u003c\/strong\u003e and \u003cstrong\u003emalachite\u003c\/strong\u003e within the world's richest cobalt-nickel arsenide deposit. The species was originally described from the \u003cstrong\u003eCape Calamita Mine\u003c\/strong\u003e on \u003cstrong\u003eElba Island\u003c\/strong\u003e, Italy, and important cobalt-carbonate material is also mined in the \u003cstrong\u003eKatanga Copperbelt\u003c\/strong\u003e of the Democratic Republic of Congo, notably at the \u003cstrong\u003eMusonoi Mine\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003eMashamba West Mine\u003c\/strong\u003e and \u003cstrong\u003eKakanda deposit\u003c\/strong\u003e near Kolwezi, alongside associated \u003cstrong\u003eheterogenite\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003edolomite\u003c\/strong\u003e and \u003cstrong\u003ekolwezite\u003c\/strong\u003e. Older European occurrences include the historic cobalt veins of \u003cstrong\u003eSchneeberg\u003c\/strong\u003e in Saxony, Germany, classic ground for cobalt-arsenide and cobalt-carbonate mineralogy.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eCollectors prize cobaltocalcite for its intense, almost unnatural bubblegum-pink to rose-red coloration, its typical botryoidal, druzy or scalenohedral habit, and its relative scarcity compared to ordinary color varieties of calcite, since cobalt-rich hydrothermal environments are geologically uncommon. Fine Moroccan pieces combine gemmy, highly lustrous crystals with striking contrast against dark host matrix, making them popular both as aesthetic display specimens and as reference pieces for the calcite-spherocobaltite series. Because true cobaltoan calcite, cobaltoan dolomite and spherocobaltite are easily confused, well-documented, correctly labeled specimens from known localities such as Bou Azzer or Kolwezi carry particular value for systematic mineral collections and for studying cobalt substitution chemistry in carbonate minerals.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[],"url":"https:\/\/www.italmineral.com\/collections\/cobaltocalcite.oembed","provider":"ITALMINERAL","version":"1.0","type":"link"}