Cordylite-(Ce)

cordylite-(Ce)

cordylite

cordylite-(La)

strontianite

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Formula: (Na,Ca,☐)BaCe2(CO3)4(F,O)
Anhydrous carbonate containing halogen, cordylite group, barium- and cerium- bearing mineral
Specific gravity: 4.31
Hardness: 47#189;
Streak: White
Colour: Colourless, yellowish; colourless to light yellow in transmitted light
Luminescence: No fluorescence under UV
Solubility: Readily soluble in acids
Weakly RADIOACTIVE
Environments:

Pegmatites
Carbonatites

Localities

At the type locality, the Narssârssuk pegmatite, Narsaarsuk Plateau, Igaliku, Kujalleq, Greenland, cordylite-(Ce) occurs as prismatic or thin to thick tabular crystals with hexagonal outline in pegmatitic veins in nepheline-syenite. Associated minerals include synchysite-(Ce), neptunite, ancylite and aegirine (Mindat).

The Ust'-Biraya, Biraya Fe-REE ore occurrence, Biraya and Bya Rivers confluence area, Vitim Plateau, Irkutsk Oblast, Russia, comprises a sequence of lens-shaped carbonatite bodies accompanied by fenites.
Cordyite-(Ce) occurs in a fine- to medium- grained vein composed mainly of the carbonates aragonitestrontianite, emmonite, strontium-rich calcite, iron-rich dolomite, cordylite-(Ce) and cordylite-(La).
Within the vein, cordylite-(Ce) is more common than cordylite-(La), with only cordylite-(Ce) occurring as single grains, while cordylite-(La) may occur as cores within cordylite-(Ce). Also contained in the vein and are baryte, biraite-(Ce), niobium-rich chevkinite-(Ce), fergusonite-(Nd), ancylite-(Ce), ancylite-(La), daqingshanite-(Ce), bastnäsite-(Ce), hydroxylbastnäsite-(Ce), carbocernaite, monazite-(Ce), talc, thorite, humite, galena, pyrite and pyrrhotite. Minerals in the outer zone of the vein near the fenite include tremolite, winchite, ferriallanite-(Ce), törnebohmite-(Ce), belkovite, ancylite-(La), strontianite, fergusonite-(Ce), zero-valent-dominant light-rare-earth-element bearing pyrochlore and nioboaeschynite-(Ce) (CM 50.5.1281-1290).

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