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Formula: Sr(SO4)
Sulphate of strontium, baryte group, forms a
series with baryte
Crystal System: Orthorhombic
Specific gravity: 3.96 to 3.98 measured, 3.98 calculated
Hardness: 3 to 3½
Streak: White
Colour: Colourless, white, blue, reddish, greenish, brownish
Solubility: Slightly soluble in hydrochloric, sulphuric and nitric acid
Environments:
Sedimentary environments
Hydrothermal environments
Basaltic cavities
Celestine is a strontium mineral that may be directly deposited from seawater, or precipitated from surface waters percolating through veins
and fissures. It also forms occasionally in hydrothermal deposits. It is common as a minor constituent of evaporites and
it is found disseminated through limestone,
shale, dolomite and
sandstone. It is also found occasionally in vesicles in volcanic rocks
(Dana).
Common associates include calcite,
dolomite,
gypsum,
halite,
sulphur and
fluorite.
Celestine occurs either as a primary precipitate from
aqueous solutions or, more usually, by the interaction of gypsum
or anhydrite with strontium-rich waters. Beds of celestine are therefore
commonly found immediately above or below gypsum or
anhydrite deposits.
Localities
At the Vodinskoe deposit, Samara Oblast, Russia, crystals of bluish celestine occur with
sulphur crystals on a druze of grey crystals of
calcite
(FM OP2187).
At Aust Cliff, Gloucestershire, England, UK, celestine occurs in mudstone
(RES p157).
At Lilliput, near Yate, Gloucestershire, England, UK, barium-rich celestine occurs with
calcite and galena
(RES p167).
At the Harry Stoke mine, near Filton, South Gloucestershire, England, UK, celestine occurs with
calcite and quartz variety amethyst
(RES p168).
At the Hampstead Farm quarry, Chipping Sodbury, South Gloucestershire, England, UK, celestine occurs with
sphalerite, galena,
pyrite and calcite in a
limestone breccia
(RES p171).
At the Barrow upon Soar gypsum mine, Leicestershire, England, UK, celestine occurs with calcite
filling fractures in a septarian nodule
(RES p209).
At the Blaby brick kiln quarry, Leicestershire, England, UK, celestine occurs in mudstone
(RES p211).
At the Clayton adit, Ecton mine, Staffordshire, England, UK, celestine occurs on calcite with
minor millerite
(RES p308).
At the Route 13 roadcut, Chittenango Falls, Fenner Township, Madison county, New York, USA, celestine occurs as well
developed crystals lining very irregular geodic cavities, and as massive and fibrous veins which commonly connect the geodes.
The cavities occur near the base of the quarry face in a light grey dolomitic
limestone. The celestine is associated with a large amount of "dog
tooth" calcite, and smaller amounts of quartz and
chalcedony
(AM 20.147-152).
At the Clay Center, Allen Township, Ottawa county, Ohio, USA, celestine occurs mainly in roughly lenticular masses, from
a few inches to several feet in breadth; the celestine-bearing zones appear to occupy solution cavities. In the lower level
the rock is less cavernous, and celestine is not so frequently found, but when present is observed to be in flat bladelike
crystals, or in compact crystalline masses. The crystals observed in the quarry range from pale blue to white and colourless. When
first exposed, the larger ones are frequently bluish, but after exposure to light and weather they become either white or
colourless
(AM 20.782).
At South Bass Island, Put-In-Bay Township, Ottawa county, Ohio, USA, thr Crystal Cave produces some of the largest celestine
crystals in the world. They vary in size and range from 20 to 46 cm in length and 8 cm thick. The colours of the crystals range
from translucent white to pale blue. Doubly terminated tabular celestine crystals are not uncommon in sizes between 20 and
40 cm in length, and the largest crystal reported from the cave is approximately 45 cm long, 61 cm across and 15 cm thick.
Celestine crystals were also discovered at the former Fox Stone Products Inc. quarry. Celestine was the dominant
mineral found at the quarry, with crystals up to 20 cm in length as reticulated aggregates, though smaller crystals were more
common. Fox Stone Products quarry celestine crystals range from 1 to 6 cm in length and have prominent pinacoidal faces and
prismatic terminations
(Minrec 54.2.276-279).
At the type locality, Bell's Mill, Bellwood, Blair county, Pennsylvania, USA, celestine ocurrs as fibrous veinlets
(Mindat ).
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