Published July 2015 • Updated August 2024 • Read Time: 6 minutes
Magnesite is a white mineral with gray markings that is often confused with Howlite. They look virtually identical, so the easiest way to distinguish between them is to know where they come from. If your ‘Howlite’ is from Zimbabwe, it’s actually Magnesite! It’s a fascinating mineral in its own right. Anyone who is interested in space exploration and astronomy will delight in this simple stone. It is used to build space ships and was studied by Perseverance, one of NASA’s Mars Rovers. Energetically, it helps us to understand complex information so that we can improve our own life and that of others. It is a fantastic stone for Third Eye Chakra.
Magnesite Healing Energy
Spiritual Healing Properties
Magnesite activates psychic powers and increases our ability to receive and understand information from a higher source. It is one of the most powerful crystals for activating the Third Eye and is a phenomenal tool for anyone who is working with spirit guides, angels, or other spiritual entities. Magnesite has a very positive vibration, and reminds us that life is good and meant to be enjoyed.
| Vibrations | Magnesite |
|---|---|
| Chakra | Heart, Third Eye and Crown |
| Element | Storm |
| Numerology | 3 |
| Zodiac | Aries |
Emotional Healing Properties
Magnesite is an emotional balancer, helping us to let go of stress and to develop good emotional health habits. It is a joyful stone which helps us connect our hearts directly with the Divine, allowing us to feel safe and supported. Magnesite reduces the effects of fear and irritability, helping us to become more tolerant and patient with emotional stress, and to know how to resolve it satisfactorily. It is a stone of hope and forward progress. Magnestite helps us to self-reflect accurately and kindly so that we can do our personal work and become better versions of ourselves.
Mental Healing Properties
Magnesite helps us to process complex information, showing us how it relates to our own life and how we can use that information to help others. It is an excellent talisman for anyone who studies history, anthropology, earth science, or cosmology because it encourages us to ask the “big questions,” study the evidence, and then make the mental leaps which can reveal the “big answers.” Magnesite teaches us to become better listeners and to gather as much information as we can before making any firm judgements. It also reminds us that when new information becomes available, we need to adjust our thinking accordingly.
Physical Healing Properties
Magnesite is said to encourage the body to relax. It has been used by metaphysical healers to release tension, muscle spasms, stomach cramps, and to relieve overly sensitive skin or organs. It is the most important healing crystal for anything related to a Magnesium deficiency. It is also believed to help relieve headaches/migraines.
Geology of Magnesite
Where does Magnesite come from?
Magnesite deposits are found in Australia, Austria, Brazil, Italy and Zimbabwe. They have also been found in meteorites and on the planet Mars! Sometimes Magnesite from Zimbabwe is sold as “Howlite” because the white massive minerals look so similar. Howlite is found mainly in Canada.
Mining and Treatments
Magnesite is a very desirable mineral to mine because it is a rich source for Magnesium, an element that can only naturally occur in combination with other elements. Magnesite is used to produce Magnesium products (for example, Epsom salts and synthetic rubber) and is combined with Aluminum or Zinc to give structural strength to aircrafts and spaceships.
Most Magnesite is white and grey, but in Western Australia it is naturally a vibrant yellow-green. This variety is called Lemon Magnesite, Lemon Chrysoprase, or Citron Chrysoprase. All varieties of Magnesite are enhanced only by cutting and polishing.
Magnesite
Mineral Family
Magnesite is a Carbonate mineral. Carbonates are an important part of the Earth’s crust and are found in sedimentary, metamorphic, and igneous rocks. Carbonates are minerals which contain the carbonate group CO3 as their basic structural unit. They form in a trigonal system with one carbon atom centrally located between 3 oxygen atoms. While there are over 70 types of Carbonate minerals, the most common are Dolomite, Siderite, and Calcite. Magnesite is a relatively rare stone, which usually forms in massive slabs, although occasional fine crystals have been found.
Magnesite’s energy works well with its family – other Carbonite minerals. Try it in combination with Aragonite, Azurite, Calcite, Malachite, Rhodochrosite, and Stichtite.
Magnesite Formation and Crystal Associates
Magnesite shares a chemical formula with Magnesium Carbonite. Magnesium is a chemical element that if isolated appears as a shiny grey metal. In nature, Magnesium is almost always found combined with another element, such as Carbonite, Oxide or Sulfate. Usually these chemical combinations result in a white mineral. Trace inclusions of other elements can change the color, for example nickel-rich Magnesite turns a lovely yellow-green and is nicknamed Citron Chrysoprase. Most of the time, Magnesite forms in magnesium rich metamorphic rocks. It can be found in both contact and regional metamorphic environments. It occasionally forms in ultramafic igneous rocks, when a mineral solution rich in Magnesium flows onto a Calcite deposit.
Magnesite’s energy works well with its “friends” – crystal associates formed in the same geological environment. Try it in combination with Calcite, Fluorite and Serpentine
| Mineralogy | Magnesite |
|---|---|
| Chemical Formula | MgCO3 |
| Cleavage | Perfect |
| Color | Typically colorless or white, but can be yellow or pink |
| Crystal System | Hexatonal/trigonal |
| Form/Habit | Massive |
| Fracture | Conchoidal, brittal |
| Hardness – Mohs Scale | 4 |
| Luminescence | Yellowish-white (long wave) / Blueish-white (short wave) |
| Luster | Vitreous |
| Mineral Family | Carbonites |
| Specific Gravity | 3.0 |
| Streak | White |
| Transparency | Opaque |
History of Magnesite
Magnesite is a relatively “new” healing stone whose properties have only recently begun to be explored. As a result, it was not included in early lapidaries, texts which describe gemstones and their powers. Magnesite is mostly used for industrial purposes, most interestingly as a source for the metal used to build spaceships. While Magnesite has many practical uses here on Earth, its most fascinating history belongs to the stars.
In 1984, a group of meteorite hunters who belonged to ANSMET (Antarctic Search for Meteorites, funded by the US National Science Foundation) made a unique discovery. The meteorite which they discovered (ALH84001) had landed in Allan Hills, Antarctica, and is believed to have originated on the planet Mars. In 1996, the meteorite was the subject of headlines worldwide after it was announced that it contained evidence for microscopic fossils of bacteria. It was tentatively put forth as possible proof that life had once existed on the Red Planet. The fossils were located in the carbonate globules, which were largely composed of Iron and Magnesite.
ALH84001 Meteorite, Smithsonian Museum
The meteorite is an igneous rock, which is estimated to be 4.09 billion years old. This is slightly older than any known Earth rock, making this meteorite the oldest known rock in the solar system! According to current theories, ALH84001 was blasted into space approximately 17 million years ago, after Mars was hit by a large meteorite, sending rocks through its atmosphere and into deep space. The Martian rock traveled the cosmos for millions of years before eventually landing in Antartica, roughly 13,000 years ago.
It has been suggested that the meteorite came from the Valles Marineris canyon on Mars, based on a chemical analysis done by the Mars Global Surveyor and Mars Odyssey spacecraft, but the evidence is not conclusive. Since 1997, NASA has sent several rovers to wander around on Mars and do experiments in preparation for an eventual manned-mission. Many of the rover experiments are geological, such as identifying the types of rocks and minerals on the surface of the landing areas, in order to determine if liquid water once flowed on the Red Planet and to search for any fossils. Some of the first minerals identified by the rovers were Magnesite and Hematite. None of the rovers have landed on Valles Marineris yet, but perhaps that might be the site of a manned-mission in the 2030s.
Mars Rover “Perseverance” pauses to take a selfie while searching for signs of life
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