Nesquehonite is a mineral of
magnesium carbonate
Magnesium carbonate, (archaic name magnesia alba), is an inorganic salt that is a colourless or white solid. Several hydrated and Base (chemistry), basic forms of magnesium carbonate also exist as minerals.
Forms
The most common magnesium car ...
(). It represents the
trihydrate of magnesium carbonate, and has the total formula .
It was described in 1890 by
F. A. Genth and
S. L. Penfield and is named after its type locality of
Nesquehoning, Pennsylvania, where it was sampled from a
coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other Chemical element, elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen.
Coal i ...
mine.
[ Nesquehonite can form from the related pentahydrate Lansfordite by dehydration at room temperature.
]
References
Magnesium minerals
Carbonate minerals
Geology of Pennsylvania
Monoclinic minerals
Trihydrate minerals
Minerals described in 1890
{{carbonate-mineral-stub