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Formula: CeAl3(PO4)2(OH)6
Anhydrous phosphate, plumbogummite group,
alunite supergroup
Crystal System: Trigonal
Specific gravity: 3.45 to 3.54
Hardness: 5 to 6
Streak: White
Colour: Pale yellow to butterscotch-yellow, red-orange, pink, pale brown, colourless to grey, colourless to pale
yellow in thin section, may be zoned
Weakly RADIOACTIVE
Environments
Carbonatites
Sedimentary environments
Florencite-(Ce) occurs as a weathering product, typically of apatite,
in highly argillised igneous rocks, bauxite,
saprolite and
carbonatites.
It is authigenic (formed in place) in shale and
sandstone, and it is also formed by the interaction of guano-reacted
waters with gabbroic rock. In sedimentary environments it is associated
with kaolinite, muscovite,
alunite, siderite and
quartz. In
carbonatites it
is associated with monazite,
bastnäsite,
apatite, ankerite,
strontianite, baryte,
sphalerite and quartz
(HOM).
Localities
At the Mount Lyell Mines, Queenstown district, West Coast municipality, Tasmania, Australia, florencite-(Ce)
occurs as fine-grained aggregates in
pyrite - chalcopyrite -
siderite - quartz
ores
(AJM 21.2.4).
The type locality is Mata dos Crioulos, Santo Antônio do Itambé, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
Florencite-(Ce) from Brazil - Image
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