Rhodochrosite comes from a surprisingly varied amount of localities, although good specimens are far less common. Only localities that are well-known are mentioned here.
Banded Rhodochrosite stalagmites and stalactites come from the the Capillitas Mine, Catamarca, Argentina. Deeply colored and gemmy scalenohedral crystals come from Peru in the Huayllapon mine in the Pasto Bueno District, Ancash; the Huaron mine, Cerro de Pasco; and the Uchucchacua Mine, Oyon Province, Lima Dept. Curved, saddle-shaped crystal groupings were found at Huachocolpa, Huancavelca Dept., Peru.
In Mexico, good Rhodochrosite crystals come from Santa Eulalia, Chihuahua; and Cananea, Sonora, while pink rounded aggregates from Los Remedios Mine, Taxco, Guerro.
One of the most famous forms of Rhodochrosite are the blood red, clear,
scalenohedral crystals that come from the Kalahari
Manganese fields of South Africa, in Hotazel and the N'Chwaning Mines
of Kuruman. Dark red Rhodochrosite crystals were found in the Moanda Mine, Leboumbi-Leyou, Gabon.
A recent supplier of outstanding Rhodochrosite specimens, including some very large
rhombohedral crystals, is the Wutong Mine, Wuzhou, Guangxi Zhuang, China.
Banded and
botryoidal Rhodochrosite has
come from Japan in the Inakuraishi mine, Shiribeshi Province; and from
the Oppu mine in Nishimeya. Odd
pseudomorphs of Rhodochrosite over
organic material such as shells come from the Kerch peninsula, Crimea, Ukraine.
A classic European locality for Rhodochrosite is the Wolf Mine in Herdorf, Siegerland, Germany, where Rhodochrosite formed in
botryoidal aggregatess and in long, pointed,
terminated crystals. Specimens from the Wolf Mine are very difficult to obtain. Light pink Rhodochrosite crystals have come from Kapnik, Maramures Co., Romania.
The U.S. has several important Rhodochrosite localities The mines that have yielded the best crystals are in Colorado, particularly the Sweet Home Mine near Alma, Park Co., which is the most famous and coveted of Rhodochrosite localities. This mine was originally worked for the
Silver it produced, but then stunning, bright red Rhodochrosite specimens started coming out of the mine. The mine was reopened in 1993 through 2004 strictly for Rhodochrosite specimen mining.
Fine Rhodochrosite specimens have also been obtained in Colorado at Climax, Lake Co.; the Mt. Monarch Mine, Ouray Co.; the Eagle Mine, Gilman Co.; and the Silverton mining district (especially the American Tunnel/Sunnyside Mine) in San Juan Co. Large crystals and aggregates, pink in color, were found in Butte, Silver Bow Co., and in Phillipsburg, Granite Co., Montana.
In Canada, dark reddish-brown Rhodochrosite
rhombohedrons come from the famous locality of Mont Saint-Hilaire, Quebec.