Chinleite-(Ce), NaCe(SO₄)₂(H₂O), a New Mineral from the Blue Streak Mine, Montrose County, Colorado, USA
Creators
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1.
Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
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2.
California Institute of Technology
Abstract
Chinleite-(Ce) (IMA2024-009), NaCe(SO4)2(H2O), is a new mineral discovered as a secondary phase on a tunnel wall in the Blue Streak mine, Bull Canyon, Montrose County, Colorado, USA. It occurs as colorless prisms growing on a veneer of phlogopite in association with boltwoodite, gypsum, hummerite, and mathesiusite. Crystals are transparent with vitreous luster and white streak. The Mohs hardness is 2½–3. The mineral has brittle tenacity, splintery fracture, and one good cleavage (probably on {100}). The calculated density is 3.149 g/cm3. Electron probe microanalysis provided the empirical formula (Na0.621Ca0.488Ce0.243Nd0.222K0.180Sr0.078Pr0.048La0.046Sm0.035Gd0.032Eu0.012)Σ2.005[SO3.922(OH)0.078]2(H2O). Chinleite-(Ce) is trigonal, P3221, a = 7.0211(11), c = 12.942(3) Å, V = 552.5(2) Å3, and Z = 3. Chinleite-(Ce) is the Ce analogue of chinleite-(Y) and chinleite-(Nd).
Copyright and License
© 2025 Mineralogical Association of Canada.
Acknowledgement
Three anonymous reviewers are thanked for their constructive comments on the manuscript. The EPMA was carried out at the Caltech GPS Division Analytical Facility, which is supported, in part, by NSF Grant EAR-2117942. This study was funded, in part, by the John Jago Trelawney Endowment to the Mineral Sciences Department of the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.
Additional details
Funding
- National Science Foundation
- EAR-2117942
- Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
- John Jago Trelawney Endowment -
Dates
- Accepted
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2024-12-03
- Available
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2025-03-21First online