Mozambique
near Mavuco
Muva


Gem quality rossmanite occurs in crystals of mixed elbaite-rossmanite compositions. At this locality, there is no correlation between the color of the sample and the species of tourmaline. Pink, pale yellow and yellow-green crystals have been shown to be rossmanite by electron microprobe analysis (Laurs et al. 2008; Simmons et al. 2011).

In their study, Simmons et al. (2011) also found flourine-dominant yellow rossmanites that corresponds to the hypothetical mineral species, fluor-rossmanite.
This phase has never been fully studied and characterized to the point that it could be submitted to the IMA for consideration as a new mineral species.


Composition

X-site compositions of rossmanite and representative elbaite tourmalines 
from the Muva, Mozambique, locality as reported in Laurs et al., 2008.



Fluor-rossmanite compositions

"Fluor-rossmanite" compositions in the flourine-rich yellow tourmalines from Muva. (After Figure 8 in Simmons et al, 2011)




References:

Laurs BM, Zwan JC, Simmons WB, Falster AU (2008) Tourmaline from Muva, Mozambique. Gems & Gemology, 44, 273-275.

Simmons WB, Falster AU, Laurs BM (2011) A survey of Mn-rich yellow tourmaline from worldwide localities and implications for the petrogenesis of granitic pegmatites. The Canadian Mineralogist 49, 301-319.



last updated 17-Mar-2017