Nesquehonite

nesquehonite

lansfordite

dypingite

hydromagnesite

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Formula: Mg(CO₃).3H₂O
Hydrated carbonate
Crystal System: Monoclinic
Specific gravity: 1.824 to 1.854 measured, 1.856 calculated
Hardness: 2½
Streak: White
Colour: Colourless to white, colourless in transmitted light
Solubility: Very slightly soluble in water; more so in the presence of CO₂, readily soluble in dilute acids with effervescence
Environments

Hydrothermal environments

Nesquehonite is typically recently formed under near-surface conditions, as efflorescences in coal mines, in fractures in serpentinite, in deposits around springs and in caves due to loss of CO₂ in waters. Associated minerals include lansfordite, dypingite, calcite, aragonite, artinite, hydromagnesite, brucite, pyroaurite and monohydrocalcite (HOM).

Localities

At the Dossi di Franscia, Campo Franscia, Lanzada, Sondrio Province, Lombardy, Italy, nesquehonite is found lining crevices in serpentinite (Dana).

At the type locality, the Nesquehoning Coal Mine, Nesquehoning, Lansford, Carbon county, Pennsylvania, USA, nesquehoniteformed at the base of stalactites associated with lansfordite (Dana, Mindat).

Nesquehonite may exist as a dehydration product of lansfordite (Mindat).

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