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Allanite

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CR961501

Allanite

Rare Mineral

Description Tabs

Description
Locality: 
Nueva Vizcaya Mine, Burguillos del Cerro, Extremadura, Spain
Class: 
Crystals on Matrix
Size Range: 
Thumbnail (1-3cm)
Size: 
1.8 × 1.5 × 1.5 cm
Description

Sharp, lustrous Allanite Group crystals to 8 mm on both sides matrix on this very fine specimen from this Spanish locale.

This subgroup of the Epidote Supergroup contains REE minerals. These were first described as allanite-(La) from the Nueva Vizcaya Mine. "The large well formed crystals of "allanite-(La)" from the Nueva Vizcaya Mine, Spain published by Del Tanago et al. (2002) as "macroscopic La-dominant allanite and REE-rich epidote crystals" are zoned crystals containing allanite with Ce>La, allanite with La>Ce, and REE-rich epidote. Only thin zones within the crystals contain sufficient REE to qualify as allanite-(La), and the La dominant material were too scarce to adequately describe allanite-(La) as a new mineral (MINDAT)."

Beautiful small specimen from a very old find.

Mineral Data
What's on the rock

Allanite

Synonym Of: 

Allanite-(Ce)

Formula: 
{CaCe}{Al2Fe2+}(Si2O7)(SiO4)O(OH)
Strunz: 
9.BG.05b
Hardness: 
5.5 - 6.0

Allanite-(La)

Formula: 
{CaLa}{Al2Fe2+}(Si2O7)(SiO4)O(OH)
Strunz: 
9.BG.05b
Hardness: 
6.0

Allanite-(Y)

Formula: 
{CaY}{Al2Fe2+}(Si2O7)(SiO4)O(OH)
Strunz: 
9.BG.05b
Hardness: 
5.5 - 6.5