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Allanite

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CR1030589

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: 
2.7 × 1.5 × 1 cm
Description

Sharp, lustrous Allanite crystals with beautiful magnetite crystals on matrix of 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