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Magnesium and Manganese
Magnesium
Magnesium cannot be found as a metal and is usually produced by chloride salt beds. Nonetheless, the mineral, which is magnesite, is an ore of magnesium and finding a big deposit can prove to be quite valuable. Magnesite can normally be found with serpentine as well as in sedimentary rock. It has a crystalline structure and big crystals have been found in the past. in most cases it occurs in microscopic crystals that are forming a mass. In its natural form it usually has a white to grayish color to it. it has a glassy luster, harness of 3.5 to 5 and a specific gravity of 3.
Manganese
Manganese consists of a hard and brittle metal that is not normally used as a metal. In most cases it is utilized as an alloy. It cannot be found in nature as a native metal. There are not any big deposits of its ores however a good number have been exploitable. The main ores consist of pyrolusite, psilomelane, rhodoschrosite and rhodonite. The main and most important ore in this previous list is pyrolusite and it is very common. This has a softness that can be scratched with a fingernail and it has a black color. When it is handled it will leave a sooty black residue on your hands. Pyrolusite has a metallic luster to it, a hardness of 2, and a specific gravity of 4.7. Psilomelane cannot be found as a crystal but it can be found in masses. Psilomelane will in many cases be associated with pyrolusite since it has a of sooty covering as well and it also has a black color in its natural form however it has also been found in lighter shades of black. It is easy to identify though due to its hardness. If you do run into psilomelane make sure to get it assayed since samples that seem to be rich in manganese in many cases only have a little percentage of the metal. Psilomelane has a metallic luster to it, a hardness of 5 to 6 and a specific gravity of 3.3 to 4.7. Rhodoschrosite is one of the minor ores of manganese however rock collectors do consider it to having some value. Rhodoschrosite is often times associated with lead, copper or silver ores however it does not occur in pegmatite bodies. Rhodoschrosite is simple to identify because of its pink color however there have been gray and brown specimens found as well. Rhodoschrosite has a vitreous luster to it, a hardness of 3.5 to 4, and a specific gravity of 3.4 to 3.7. Rhodonite is sometimes confused for Rhodoschrosite due to its pink color but in most cases you can identify it because of its hardness. Rhodonite is very valued by rock collectors. It has a glassy luster to it, a hardness of 5.5 to 6 and a specific gravity of 3.4 to 3.7.
