Kanonaite
A rare manganese-bearing nesosilicate — the Mn³⁺-substituted analogue of andalusite, found in Zambia's Kanona.
Intro adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).
Kanonaite is an IMA-recognized mineral species in the silicate class, with the chemical formula Mn³⁺AlOSiO₄.
It crystallizes in the orthorhombic crystal system (space group Pnnm). It is a member of the Andalusite structural group.
Key properties: Mohs hardness 6.5; specific gravity 3.395; Gray-green streak; Vitreous luster; optically biaxial.
IMA symbol Kan, IMA status: approved, named in 1976.
Formed under low-grade metamorphic conditions, in a gahnite schist (Kanona, Zambia); in a schist (Salmch^ateau, Belgium).
It is found associated with Gahnite, magnesian chlorite, coronadite, braunite (Kanona, Zambia); quartz, muscovite, paragonite, chlorite, hematite, braunite, rutile, apatite (Salmch^ateau.
The name refers to Kanona, near the locality in Zambia.