Celestine (mineral)

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Celestine
Celestine - Sakoany deposit, Katsepy, Mitsinjo, Boeny, Madagascar.jpg
Clear grey-blue celestine crystals
General
Category Sulfate minerals
Formula
(repeating unit)
Sr S O 4 sometimes contains minor calcium and/or barium
IMA symbol Clt [1]
Strunz classification 7.AD.35
Crystal system Orthorhombic
Crystal class Dipyramidal (mmm)
H-M symbol: (2/m 2/m 2/m)
Space group Pnma
Unit cell a = 8.359  Å,
b = 5.352 Å,
c = 6.866 Å; Z = 4
Identification
ColorWhite, pink, pale green, pale brown, black, pale blue, reddish, greyish; colourless or lightly tinted in transmitted light
Crystal habit Tabular to pyramidal crystals, also fibrous, lamellar, earthy, massive granular
Cleavage Perfect on {001}, good on {210}, poor on {010}
Fracture Uneven
Tenacity Brittle
Mohs scale hardness3.0–3.5
Luster Vitreous, pearly on cleavages
Streak white
Diaphaneity Transparent to translucent
Specific gravity 3.95–3.97
Optical propertiesBiaxial (+)
Refractive index nα = 1.619–1.622 nβ = 1.622–1.624 nγ = 1.630–1.632
Birefringence δ = 0.011
Pleochroism Weak
2V angle Measured: 50°–51°
Dispersion Moderate r < v
Ultraviolet fluorescence yellow, white blue (both short and long UV)
References [2] [3] [4] [5]

Celestine (the IMA-accepted name) [6] or celestite [1] [7] [lower-alpha 1] is a mineral consisting of strontium sulfate (Sr S O 4). The mineral is named for its occasional delicate blue color. Celestine and the carbonate mineral strontianite are the principal sources of the element strontium, commonly used in fireworks and in various metal alloys.

Contents

Etymology

Celestine derives its name from the Latin word caelestis meaning celestial [8] which in turn is derived from the Latin word caelum meaning sky, air, weather, atmosphere and heaven. [9]

Occurrence

Celestine occurs as crystals, and also in compact massive and fibrous forms. It is mostly found in sedimentary rocks, often associated with the minerals gypsum, anhydrite, and halite. On occasion in some localities, it may also be found with sulfur inclusions.

The mineral is found worldwide, usually in small quantities. Pale blue crystal specimens are found in Madagascar. White and orange variants also occurred at Yate, Bristol, UK, where it was extracted for commercial purposes until April 1991. [10]

The skeletons of the protozoan Acantharea are made of celestine, unlike those of other radiolarians which are made of silica.

In carbonate marine sediments, burial dissolution is a recognized mechanism of celestine precipitation. [11] It is sometimes used as a gemstone. [12]

Geodes

Celestine crystals are found in some geodes. The world's largest known geode, a celestine geode 35 feet (11 m) in diameter at its widest point, is located near the village of Put-in-Bay, Ohio, on South Bass Island in Lake Erie. The geode has been converted into a viewing cave, Crystal Cave, with the crystals which once composed the floor of the geode removed. The geode has celestine crystals as wide as 18 inches (46 cm) across, estimated to weigh up to 300 pounds (140 kg) each.

Celestine geodes are understood to form by replacement of alabaster nodules consisting of the calcium sulfates gypsum or anhydrite. Calcium sulfate is sparingly soluble, but strontium sulfate is mostly insoluble. Strontium-bearing solutions that come into contact with calcium sulfate nodules dissolve the calcium away, leaving a cavity. The strontium is immediately precipitated as celestine, with the crystals growing into the newly formed cavity. [13] [14] [15]

See also

Footnotes

  1. Celestine is the approved name for this mineral by the IMA Commission on New Minerals and Mineral Names (CNMMN). Although celestite finds frequent usage in some mineralogical texts, the name has been discredited as a valid mineral name by that organization. [7] [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gypsum</span> Soft calcium sulfate mineral

Gypsum is a soft sulfate mineral composed of calcium sulfate dihydrate, with the chemical formula CaSO4·2H2O. It is widely mined and is used as a fertilizer and as the main constituent in many forms of plaster, drywall and blackboard or sidewalk chalk. Gypsum also crystallizes as translucent crystals of selenite. It forms as an evaporite mineral and as a hydration product of anhydrite. The Mohs scale of mineral hardness defines gypsum as hardness value 2 based on scratch hardness comparison.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baryte</span> Barium sulfate mineral

Baryte, barite or barytes ( or ) is a mineral consisting of barium sulfate (BaSO4). Baryte is generally white or colorless, and is the main source of the element barium. The baryte group consists of baryte, celestine (strontium sulfate), anglesite (lead sulfate), and anhydrite (calcium sulfate). Baryte and celestine form a solid solution (Ba,Sr)SO4.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Strontianite</span> Rare carbonate mineral and raw material for the extraction of strontium

Strontianite (SrCO3) is an important raw material for the extraction of strontium. It is a rare carbonate mineral and one of only a few strontium minerals. It is a member of the aragonite group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geode</span> Hollow formation inside a rock

A geode is a geological secondary formation within sedimentary and volcanic rocks. Geodes are hollow, vaguely spherical rocks, in which masses of mineral matter are secluded. The crystals are formed by the filling of vesicles in volcanic and subvolcanic rocks by minerals deposited from hydrothermal fluids; or by the dissolution of syn-genetic concretions and partial filling by the same or other minerals precipitated from water, groundwater, or hydrothermal fluids.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Niter</span> Mineral form of potassium nitrate

Niter or nitre is the mineral form of potassium nitrate, KNO3. It is a soft, white, highly soluble mineral found primarily in arid climates or cave deposits.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Calcium sulfate</span> Laboratory and industrial chemical

Calcium sulfate (or calcium sulphate) is the inorganic compound with the formula CaSO4 and related hydrates. In the form of γ-anhydrite (the anhydrous form), it is used as a desiccant. One particular hydrate is better known as plaster of Paris, and another occurs naturally as the mineral gypsum. It has many uses in industry. All forms are white solids that are poorly soluble in water. Calcium sulfate causes permanent hardness in water.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anglesite</span> Lead sulfate mineral

Anglesite is a lead sulfate mineral with the chemical formula PbSO4. It occurs as an oxidation product of primary lead sulfide ore, galena. Anglesite occurs as prismatic orthorhombic crystals and earthy masses, and is isomorphous with barite and celestine. It contains 74% of lead by mass and therefore has a high specific gravity of 6.3. Anglesite's color is white or gray with pale yellow streaks. It may be dark gray if impure.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anhydrite</span> Mineral, anhydrous calcium sulfate

Anhydrite, or anhydrous calcium sulfate, is a mineral with the chemical formula CaSO4. It is in the orthorhombic crystal system, with three directions of perfect cleavage parallel to the three planes of symmetry. It is not isomorphous with the orthorhombic barium (baryte) and strontium (celestine) sulfates, as might be expected from the chemical formulas. Distinctly developed crystals are somewhat rare, the mineral usually presenting the form of cleavage masses. The Mohs hardness is 3.5, and the specific gravity is 2.9. The color is white, sometimes greyish, bluish, or purple. On the best developed of the three cleavages, the lustre is pearly; on other surfaces it is glassy. When exposed to water, anhydrite readily transforms to the more commonly occurring gypsum, (CaSO4·2H2O) by the absorption of water. This transformation is reversible, with gypsum or calcium sulfate hemihydrate forming anhydrite by heating to around 200 °C (400 °F) under normal atmospheric conditions. Anhydrite is commonly associated with calcite, halite, and sulfides such as galena, chalcopyrite, molybdenite, and pyrite in vein deposits.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marcasite</span> Iron disulfide (FeS2) with orthorhombic crystal structure

The mineral marcasite, sometimes called "white iron pyrite", is iron sulfide (FeS2) with orthorhombic crystal structure. It is physically and crystallographically distinct from pyrite, which is iron sulfide with cubic crystal structure. Both structures contain the disulfide S22− ion, having a short bonding distance between the sulfur atoms. The structures differ in how these di-anions are arranged around the Fe2+ cations. Marcasite is lighter and more brittle than pyrite. Specimens of marcasite often crumble and break up due to the unstable crystal structure.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Afghanite</span> Tectosilicate mineral

Afghanite, (Na,K)22Ca10[Si24Al24O96](SO4)6Cl6, is a hydrous sodium, calcium, potassium, sulfate, chloride, carbonate alumino-silicate mineral. Afghanite is a feldspathoid of the cancrinite group and typically occurs with sodalite group minerals. It forms blue to colorless, typically massive crystals in the trigonal crystal system. The lowering of the symmetry from typical (for cancrinite group) hexagonal one is due to ordering of Si and Al. It has a Mohs hardness of 5.5 to 6 and a specific gravity of 2.55 to 2.65. It has refractive index values of nω = 1.523 and nε = 1.529. It has one direction of perfect cleavage and exhibits conchoidal fracture. It fluoresces a bright orange.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomsonite</span> Thomsonite series of the zeolite group

Thomsonite is the name of a series of tecto-silicate minerals of the zeolite group. Prior to 1997, thomsonite was recognized as a mineral species, but a reclassification in 1997 by the International Mineralogical Association changed it to a series name, with the mineral species being named thomsonite-Ca and thomsonite-Sr. Thomsonite-Ca, by far the more common of the two, is a hydrous sodium, calcium and aluminium silicate, NaCa2Al5Si5O20·6H2O. Strontium can substitute for the calcium and the appropriate species name depends on the dominant element. The species are visually indistinguishable and the series name thomsonite is used whenever testing has not been performed. Globally, thomsonite is one of the rarer zeolites.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whewellite</span> Mineral

Whewellite is a mineral, hydrated calcium oxalate, formula Ca C2O4·H2O. Because of its organic content it is thought to have an indirect biological origin; this hypothesis is supported by its presence in coal and sedimentary nodules. However, it has also been found in hydrothermal deposits where a biological source appears improbable. For this reason, it may be classed as a true mineral.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glauberite</span>

Glauberite is a monoclinic sodium calcium sulfate mineral with the formula Na2Ca(SO4)2.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Howlite</span> Inoborate mineral

Howlite, a calcium borosilicate hydroxide (Ca2B5SiO9(OH)5), is a borate mineral found in evaporite deposits.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Strontium sulfide</span> Chemical compound

Strontium sulfide is the inorganic compound with the formula SrS. It is a white solid. The compound is an intermediate in the conversion of strontium sulfate, the main strontium ore called celestite, to other more useful compounds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rapidcreekite</span>

Rapidcreekite is a rare mineral with formula Ca2(SO4)(CO3)·4H2O. The mineral is white to colorless and occurs as groupings of acicular (needle-shaped) crystals. It was discovered in 1983 in northern Yukon, Canada, and described in 1986. Rapidcreekite is structurally and compositionally similar to gypsum.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Syngenite</span>

Syngenite is an uncommon potassium calcium sulfate mineral with formula K2Ca(SO4)2·H2O. It forms as prismatic monoclinic crystals and as encrustations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brianyoungite</span>

Brianyoungite is a secondary zinc carbonate mineral. The Commission on New Minerals, Nomenclature and Classification (CNMNC) of the International Mineralogical Association (IMA) classifies it as a carbonate with the formula Zn3(CO3)(OH)4, but sulfate groups SO4 also occupy the carbonate CO3 positions, in the ratio of about one sulfate to three carbonates, so other sources give the formula as Zn3(CO3,SO4)(OH)4, and Gaines et al. classify the mineral as a compound carbonate. It is similar in appearance to hydrozincite, another zinc carbonate. It was discovered in 1991 and designated IMA1991-053. In 1993 it was named "brianyoungite" after Brian Young (born 1947), a field geologist with the British Geological Survey, who provided the first specimens.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Earlandite</span>

Earlandite, [Ca3(C6H5O7)2(H2O)2]·2H2O, is the mineral form of calcium citrate tetrahydrate. It was first reported in 1936 and named after the English microscopist and oceanographer Arthur Earland FRSE. Earlandite occurs as warty fine-grained nodules ca. 1 mm in size in bottom sediments of the Weddell Sea, off Antarctica. Its crystal symmetry was first assigned as orthorhombic, then as monoclinic, and finally as triclinic.

Peretaite is a sulfate of antimony and calcium. The mineral, Ca(SbO)4(SO4)2(OH)2 (2(H2O)), was named Peretaite for its locality. It was first discovered in an antimony-bearing vein at Pereta, Tuscany, Italy.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Warr, L.N. (2021). "IMA–CNMNC approved mineral symbols". Mineralogical Magazine. 85 (3): 291–320. Bibcode:2021MinM...85..291W. doi: 10.1180/mgm.2021.43 . S2CID   235729616.
  2. "Celestine". Lexikon. Mineralien Atlas – Fossilien Atlas (in English and German). Retrieved 25 September 2022 via mineralienatlas.de.
  3. "Celestine" (PDF). Handbook of Mineralogy. RRUFF™ Database Project. University of Arizona Department of Geology.
  4. "Celestine". Mindat.org.
  5. "Celestine". Webmineral. data.
  6. "List of Minerals". 21 March 2011.
  7. 1 2 Nickel, Ernie; Nichols, Monte (2004). "Mineral list / Materials data". Mineral Names, Redefinitions, & Discreditations Passed by the CNMMN of the IMA (PDF). p. 26. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 May 2008.
  8. "Celestine". Collins English Dictionary via collinsdictionary.com.
  9. "Celestial". Merriam-Webster Dictionary. 24 April 2024 via merriam-webster.com.
  10. "Beneath our feet". Discover Yate's History. Yate Heritage Centre via yateheritage.co.uk.
  11. Baker, Paul A.; Bloomer, Sherman H. (1988). "The origin of celestite in deep-sea carbonate sediments". Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta. 52 (2): 335–339. Bibcode:1988GeCoA..52..335B. doi:10.1016/0016-7037(88)90088-9.
  12. Dedeyne, Roger; Quintens, Ivo (2007). Tables of Gemstone Identification. Glirico. p. 174. ISBN   978-90-78768-01-2. ISBN   9078768010
  13. Anenburg, Michael; Bialik, Or; Vapnik, Yevgeny; Chapman, Hazel; Antler, Gilad; Katzir, Yaron; Bickle, Mike (2014). "The origin of celestine-quartz-calcite geodes associated with a basaltic dyke, Makhtesh Ramon, Israel". Geological Magazine. 151 (5): 798–815. Bibcode:2014GeoM..151..798A. doi:10.1017/S0016756813000800. S2CID   129529427.
  14. Carlson, Ernest (1987). "Celestite replacements of evaporites in the Salina Group". Sedimentary Geology. 54 (1–2): 93–112. Bibcode:1987SedG...54...93C. doi:10.1016/0037-0738(87)90005-4.
  15. Kile, Daniel; Dayvault, Richard; Hood, William; Hatch, H. Steven (2015). "Celestine-bearing geodes from Wayne and Emery counties, southeastern Utah: Genesis and mineralogy". Rocks & Minerals. 90 (4): 314–337. Bibcode:2015RoMin..90..314K. doi:10.1080/00357529.2015.1034489. S2CID   130452012.