Thulite
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Thulite.jpg
Thulite.jpg
Thulite from Tvedestrand, Norway.
Thulite (sometimes called rosaline) is an opaque, massive pink variety of the mineral zoisite. Thulite is often mottled with white calcite and occurs as veins and fracture fillings transecting many types of rock. Its colour is said to be attributed to manganese. In mineralogical literature, thulite may sometimes refer to any pink zoisite.
Thulite was first discovered in Lom, Norway in 1820. It is named after the mythical island of Thule in the belief that the island is Norway. Thulite is used as a carving material in the manufacture of ornamental objects.
Thulite is also found in the Austrian Tyrol, in Mitchell County, North Carolina, and in Western Australia.