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| Fluorbritholite-(Ce)
is the fluorine-dominant analogue of Britholite-(Ce).
Britholite was first described and
named by Christian Winther in 1901 from the Greek word brithos for
weight, referring to the high specific gravity of the mineral;
and (Ce) for its cerium content.
| Discovered
in 1991; IMA
status:
Valid (IMA Approved 1991) |
|
Chemistry
|
|
|
Chemical
Formula: |
Ca2(Ce,Ca,La)3(SiO4,PO4)3(F,OH)
|
|
Calcium Cerium Lanthanum Silicate Phosphate Fluoride
Hydroxide
|
Emperical
Chemical
Formula: |
Ca1.95Ce1.39La0.76Nd0.31Pr0.17Y0.09Th0.05Sr0.03Sm0.03Si2.68P0.31O12.02F0.98
|
Molecular
Weight: |
769.69 gm
|
Composition: |
Strontium |
0.34 % |
Sr
|
0.40 % |
SrO |
|
Calcium |
10.15 % |
Ca |
14.21 % |
CaO |
|
Lanthanum |
13.72 % |
La |
16.09 % |
La2O3 |
|
Cerium |
25.30 % |
Ce |
29.64 % |
Ce2O3 |
|
Praeseodymium |
3.11 % |
Pr |
3.64 % |
Pr2O3 |
|
Samarium |
0.59 % |
Sm |
0.68 % |
Sm2O3 |
|
Yttrium |
1.04 % |
Y |
1.32 % |
Y2O3 |
|
Thorium |
1.51 % |
Th |
1.72 % |
ThO2 |
|
Silicon |
9.78 % |
Si |
20.92 % |
SiO2 |
|
Phosphorus |
1.25 % |
P |
2.86 % |
P2O5 |
|
Neodymium |
5.81
% |
Nd |
6.78 % |
Nd2O3 |
|
Oxygen |
24.99 % |
O |
|
|
|
Fluorine |
2.42 % |
F |
2.42 % |
F |
|
— |
—
% |
F |
-1.02 % |
-O=F2 |
|
|
100.00 % |
|
99.65 % |
= TOTAL OXIDE |
|
|
Classification
|
|
|
Mineral
Classification: |
SILICATES (Germanates)
|
Strunz 8th
Ed. ID:
|
8/B.27-62
|
Nickel-Strunz 10th
Ed. ID:
|
9.AH.25
|
|
9 : SILICATES (Germanates)
A : Nesosilicates H : Nesosilicates with CO3, SO4, PO4, etc.
|
Related
to: |
Apatite Supergroup.
Britholite Group.
The fluorine-dominant analogue of Britholite-(Ce).
|
Members
of Group: |
Britholite Group:
Britholite-(Ce), Britholite-(La), Britholite-(Y), Fluorbritholite-(Ce),
Fluorbritholite-(Y), Fluorcalciobritholite, Tritomite-(Ce),
Tritomite-(Y)
|
Varieties: |
None
|
Synonyms: |
IMA1991-027
|
|
|
Crystal
Data
|
|
|
Crystallography:
|
Hexagonal - Dipyramidal
|
Crystal
Habit:
|
Crystals
are hexagonal prisms, to 1 cm; granular, massive; includes aggregates of radiating prismatic crystals.
|
Twinning:
|
None
|
|
|
Physical
Properties
|
|
|
Cleavage: |
Distinct
on {001}
|
Fracture: |
Conchoidal
|
Tenacity:
|
Brittle
|
Moh's
Hardness: |
5.0
|
Density:
|
4.20
- 4.69 (g/cm3)
|
Luminescence:
|
None
|
Radioactivity:
|
Weak;
GRapi = 29,254.55 (Gamma Ray American Petroleum Institute Units)
|
Health
Warning: |
Contains Cerium
and Thorium - always wash hands after handling. Avoid inhaling dust when
handling or breaking. Never lick or ingest. Avoid prolonged exposure in
proximity of the body. Store away from inhabited areas. |
|
|
Optical
Properties
|
|
|
Color: |
Pale
yellow, tan, colorless, reddish brown
|
Transparency: |
Opaque
to translucent; transparent in thin flakes |
Luster: |
Adamantine
|
Refractive
Index: |
1.782
- 1.792 Uniaxial ( - )
|
Birefringence: |
0.006
|
Dispersion: |
n/a |
Pleochroism: |
n/a |
|
|
Occurances
|
|
|
Geological
Setting: |
In vugs in nepheline syenite, marble xenoliths, sodalite syenite xenoliths and pegmatite dykes
|
Common
Associations: |
Zircon,
Ussingite, Steenstrupine-(Ce), Sodalite, Sérandite,
Pyrophanite, Phillipsite, Pectolite, Natrolite, Monazite,
Microcline, Lueshite, Lovozerite, Götzenite, Fluorite,
Eudialyte, Chabazite, Carbonate-rich Fluorapatite, Calcite,
Biotite, Ancylite, Analcime, Albite
(at Poudrette quarry, Mont Saint-Hilaire, Québec,
Canada) |
Common
Impurities: |
n/a
|
Type
Locality: |
Poudrette quarry (Demix
quarry; Uni-Mix quarry; Desourdy quarry; Carrière Mont Saint-Hilaire),
Mont Saint-Hilaire, La Vallée-du-Richelieu RCM, Montérégie, Québec,
Canada
|
Year
Discovered: |
1991
|
View
mineral photos: |
Fluorbritholite-(Ce)
Mineral Photos and Locations |
|
|
More
Information
|
|
|
|
Mindat.org
Webmineral.com
|
|
|
Fluorbritholite-(Ce)
is a Rare Earth Element (REE) rich silicate mineral.
It contains the rare earth elements Cerium (Ce), Lanthanum
(La), Neodymium (Nd), Praeseodymium (Pr), Samarium (Sm) and Yttrium
(Y). Rare earth elements are a set of seventeen chemical elements, specifically the fifteen Lanthanides plus Scandium and Yttrium.
Despite their name, rare earth elements (with the exception of the radioactive Promethium) are relatively plentiful in the Earth's crust, with Cerium being the 25th most abundant element (similar to Copper).
Fluorbritholite-(Ce)
is
also the fluorine-dominant analogue of Britholite-(Ce). Fluorbritholite-(Ce)
is found in vugs in nepheline syenite, marble xenoliths,
sodalite syenite xenoliths, and pegmatite dikes. It occurs as yellow, tan or reddish-brown aggregates and
patches consisting of radiating prismatic crystals. The picture above shows
a nice contrast of yellow Fluorbritholite-(Ce)
and black Allanite-(Ce) from the Rusty Gold locality,
Jamestown, Boulder County, Colorado, USA.
Fluorbritholite-(Ce)
is the fluorine-dominant analogue of Britholite-(Ce).
Britholite was first described and
named by Christian Winther in 1901 from the Greek word brithos for
weight, referring to the high specific gravity of the mineral;
and (Ce) for its cerium content.
Locations
for finding Fluorbritholite-(Ce): at the type locality
Poudrette quarry, Mont Saint-Hilaire, Québec,
Canada; Sakhariok Massif, Kola Peninsula, Murmanskaja Oblast', Northern Region, Russia.
In Sweden at Norra Kärr, Gränna, Jönköping, Småland
and at Malmkärra Mine, Norberg, Västmanland.
In the USA at "Cerite" occurrences ("Rusty Gold" locality), Jamestown, Jamestown District, Boulder County, Colorado.
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