Cerite

Silicate mineral group containing cerium
(repeating unit)(Ce,La,Ca)
9(Mg,Fe3+
)(SiO
4)
6(SiO
3OH)(OH)
3IMA symbolCrt[1]Crystal systemTrigonalCrystal classDitrigonal pyramidal (3m)
(same H-M symbol)Space groupR3cIdentificationColorClove-brown with a reddish tinge; pale lavender-brown to colorless in thin fragmentsCrystal habitMassive granularCleavageNoneFractureUnevenMohs scale hardness5 to 5.5LusterVitreous to resinousStreakWhite to greyish whiteDiaphaneitySubtranslucent to opaqueSpecific gravity4.7 to 4.86Optical propertiesUniaxial (+)Refractive indexnω = 1.806 – 1.810 nε = 1.810 – 1.820Birefringenceδ = 0.010References[2][3][4]

Cerite is a complex silicate mineral group containing cerium, formula (Ce,La,Ca)
9(Mg,Fe3+
)(SiO
4)
6(SiO
3OH)(OH)
3.[3] The cerium and lanthanum content varies with the Ce rich species (cerite-(Ce)) and the La rich species (cerite-(La)).[5][6] Analysis of a sample from the Mountain Pass carbonatite gave 35.05% Ce
2O
3 and 30.04% La
2O
3.[3]

Cerite was first described in 1803 for an occurrence in Bastnäs in Västmanland, Sweden.[4] The lanthanum rich species, cerite-(La) was first described for an occurrence in the Khibina massif, Kola Peninsula, Russia in 2002.[7]

See also

  • Earth sciences portal

References

  1. ^ Warr, L.N. (2021). "IMA–CNMNC approved mineral symbols". Mineralogical Magazine. 85 (3): 291–320. Bibcode:2021MinM...85..291W. doi:10.1180/mgm.2021.43. S2CID 235729616.
  2. ^ Mineralienatlas
  3. ^ a b c http://rruff.geo.arizona.edu/doclib/hom/ceritece.pdf Handbook of Mineralogy
  4. ^ a b http://webmineral.com/data/Cerite-(Ce).shtml Webmineral (Ce)
  5. ^ http://www.mindat.org/min-931.html Mindat Cerite-(Ce)
  6. ^ http://www.mindat.org/min-26408.html Mindat Cerite-(La)
  7. ^ http://webmineral.com/data/Cerite-(La).shtml Webmineral (La)

External links

  • Media related to Cerite-(Ce) at Wikimedia Commons


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