Allanite-(Nd)

allanite-(Nd)

thalenite

iimoriite

kieviite

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Formula: CaNd(Al2Fe2+)[Si2O7][SiO4]O(OH)
Sorosilicate (Si2O7 groups), allanite group of the epidote supergroup
Crystal System: Monoclinic
Specific gravity: 3.98 measured, 4.04 calculated
Hardness: 6
Streak: Greyish brown
Colour: Dark brown to black
Common impurities: Al,Ca,Ce,Fe,La,Mg,Mn,Pr,Sm,Ti
Environments

Plutonic igneous environments
Pegmatites
Metamorphic environments

At the type locality, the Åskagen Quarry, Filipstad, Värmland, Sweden, allanite-(Nd) occurs as aggregates within altered thalénite-(Y). Associated minerals include iimoriite-(Y), keiviite-(Y), allanite-(Y) and tengerite-(Y) (AM 97.983-988). The deposit is a pegmatite with unusually extreme light rare-earth element enrichment and heavy rare-earth element depletion (Mindat).

At the Kingman Feldspar Mine, Wallapai Mining District, Cerbat Mountains, Mohave County, Arizona, USA, extreme light rare-earth element enrichment, as well as heavy rare-earth element depletion, is exemplified by the presence of abundant large crystals of light rare-earth element-enriched allanite and a near-absence of heavy rare-earth element-enriched minerals. Most of the allanite is Nd-rich allanite-(Ce). However, several of the samples have domains that are Nd-dominant, and thus are allanite-(Nd). In the Kingman pegmatite, allanite occurs as large, extensively fractured pods or crude crystals up to nearly half a metre in size. The individual crystals are nearly to completely metamict, dark brown to black in colour, euhedral to subhedral, and reach ~25 cm in length. All of the exposed surfaces of allanite are coated with a reddish iron oxide crust and locally with Nd-enriched bastnäsite-(Ce). Microscopic inclusions of thorogummite occur within the allanite (CM 50.815-824).

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