Knowra Magnesite Magnesite Magnesite is a magnesium carbonate mineral with the formula MgCO₃. It commonly forms in veins and altered ultramafic rocks and is an important source of magnesia.
Carbonate minerals : Minerals whose anions contain carbon and oxygen, commonly as the carbonate ion CO₃²⁻. Magnesite belongs to this mineral group through its CO₃²⁻ anion.
Serpentinization : The hydration-driven alteration of ultramafic rocks that produces serpentine minerals and commonly hydrogen. Serpentinization creates magnesium-rich rocks that can later carbonate to form magnesite.
Magnesia : Magnesium oxide, MgO, used in refractories, agriculture, and chemical manufacturing. Heating magnesite drives off carbon dioxide and produces magnesia.
Vein deposit : A mineral deposit formed when minerals crystallize from fluids in fractures or openings in rock. Magnesite commonly occurs in veins deposited by magnesium- and carbonate-bearing fluids.
Magnesium : A chemical element with symbol Mg and atomic number 12. Magnesium occupies the metal site in magnesite’s chemical formula.
Carbonation : A chemical reaction in which carbon dioxide or carbonate species become incorporated into a material. Carbonation supplies the carbonate needed to precipitate magnesite from magnesium-bearing fluids.
Refractory : A material that withstands high temperatures without melting or losing essential properties. Magnesia made from magnesite is used in refractory linings for furnaces and kilns.
Listvenite : A carbonated ultramafic rock composed chiefly of quartz, carbonate minerals, and commonly fuchsite. Listvenites record intense carbonation of ultramafic rocks, sometimes producing magnesite.
Calcite : A calcium carbonate mineral, CaCO₃, and the most stable polymorph of calcium carbonate at Earth’s surface. Calcite shares magnesite’s carbonate structure but contains calcium instead of magnesium.
Hydrothermal fluid : Hot, mineral-rich water circulating through rocks beneath Earth’s surface. Hydrothermal fluids transport magnesium and dissolved carbon species into magnesite-forming veins.
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