Cerite is a complex
silicate mineral
Silicate minerals are rock-forming minerals made up of silicate groups. They are the largest and most important class of minerals and make up approximately 90 percent of Earth's crust.
In mineralogy, silica (silicon dioxide, ) is usually consi ...
group containing
cerium
Cerium is a chemical element with the symbol Ce and atomic number 58. Cerium is a soft, ductile, and silvery-white metal that tarnishes when exposed to air. Cerium is the second element in the lanthanide series, and while it often shows the +3 o ...
, formula .
[http://rruff.geo.arizona.edu/doclib/hom/ceritece.pdf Handbook of Mineralogy] The cerium and lanthanum content varies with the Ce rich species (cerite-(Ce)) and the La rich species (cerite-(La)). Analysis of a sample from the
Mountain Pass carbonatite
Carbonatite () is a type of intrusive or extrusive igneous rock defined by mineralogic composition consisting of greater than 50% carbonate minerals. Carbonatites may be confused with marble and may require geochemical verification.
Carbonatit ...
gave 35.05% and 30.04% .
[
Cerite was first described in 1803 for an occurrence in ]Bastnäs
Bastnäs ( sv, Bastnäs or ) is an ore field near Riddarhyttan, Västmanland, Sweden. The mines in Bastnäs were earliest mentioned in 1692. Iron, copper and rare-earth elements were extracted from the mines and 4,500 tons of cerium was produced ...
in Västmanland
Västmanland ( or ), is a historical Swedish province, or ''landskap'', in middle Sweden. It borders Södermanland, Närke, Värmland, Dalarna and Uppland.
Västmanland means "(The) Land of the Western Men", where the "western men" (''väste ...
, Sweden.[http://webmineral.com/data/Cerite-(Ce).shtml Webmineral (Ce)] The lanthanum rich species, cerite-(La) was first described for an occurrence in the Khibina massif, Kola Peninsula
sjd, Куэлнэгк нёа̄ррк
, image_name= Kola peninsula.png
, image_caption= Kola Peninsula as a part of Murmansk Oblast
, image_size= 300px
, image_alt=
, map_image= Murmansk in Russia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Murmansk Oblast ...
, Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eigh ...
in 2002.[http://webmineral.com/data/Cerite-(La).shtml Webmineral (La)]
See also
* Classification of minerals The classification of minerals is a process of determining to which of several groups minerals belong based on their chemical characteristics. Since the 1950s, this classification has been carried out by the International Mineralogical Association, ...
* List of minerals
This is a list of minerals for which there are articles on Wikipedia.
Minerals are distinguished by various chemical and physical properties. Differences in chemical composition and crystal structure distinguish the various ''species''. Within a m ...
References
External links
*
Lanthanide minerals
Iron minerals
Cerium minerals
Nesosilicates
Trigonal minerals
Minerals in space group 161
{{silicate-mineral-stub