Magnesite is commonly used to make tumbled stones, beads, and cabochons. White magnesite is porous. It has the ability to be cut and reliably absorb dye to produce almost any color. Magnesite dyed a turquoise color has been a disclosed and undisclosed substitute for turquoise for nearly 100 years. A lot of people have been fooled by…

Magnesite has a chemical composition of MgCO3, and when it is heated it will dissociate into MgO and CO2. MgO has an extremely high melting temperature, and that makes it a good refractory material in many steelmaking, metallurgical, and ceramic processes. MgO is one of the most commonly used materials for making the bricks used…

Magnesite can be difficult to identify in hand specimens because it often departs from its anticipated properties. It is often cryptocrystalline, which can obscure its cleavage. Magnesite is often silicified or in an admixture with chert, which makes it deceptively hard. The presence of significant chert will also reduce the apparent effervescence with HCl. If…

Magnesite can form by several processes. Some of the more common are described below.

Magnesite is a magnesium carbonate mineral with a chemical composition of MgCO3. It is named after the presence of magnesium in its composition. Magnesite usually forms during the alteration of magnesium-rich rocks or carbonate rocks by metamorphism or chemical weathering. Magnesite is used to produce magnesium oxide (MgO), which serves as a refractory material for the steel industry…