Manganese Nodule

Item Description

Here we have a rarely seen manganese nodule that was collected in the 1970s off the east coast of the United States. These nodules are not pure manganese, as they are authigenic deposits comprising mostly manganese oxides which have been enriched in iron, cobalt, copper and nickel. Although manganese is a recognized element, it is not an approved mineral species. The submission for manganese as its own species was actually rejected by the International Mineralogical Association in 2001. Manganese is a fairly common element in the Earth's crust (mindat.org has 1,087 mineral species that contain manganese on its database as of the time of this listing), according to the Virginia.gov website, "the greatest abundance of manganese is in the form of ferromanganese nodules and crusts along the ocean floor. Marine chemical processes and microorganisms capture dissolved manganese in seawater, which is precipitated on the ocean floor". So these specimens are actually created by living organisms, as opposed to geological processes. This piece is a classic example of these unique and distinctive nodules, and it's actually been sawn in half to show an almost banded Agate-like structure internally. A really cool novelty specimen that is rarely seen for sale in today's market.
Ex Richard ("Rich") A. Kosnar collection (1946-2007), one of the premier mineral dealers and collectors of his day. Rich was originally from New Jersey, but spent the majority of his life in Colorado. He was the namesake for the rare zirconium phosphate, Kosnarite, one of the few dealers to have this honor bestowed upon him.