Britholite-(Ce) Knowpia

Britholite-(Ce)
Britholite-(Ce)
	A photo of the mineral
General
Category	Mineral
Formula; (repeating unit)	(Ce,Ca)5(SiO4)3OH
IMA symbol	Bri-Ce
Crystal system	Hexagonal - Dipyramidal
Space group	P63/m
Identification
Colour	Brown, greenish brown, yellow, resin brown, black
Mohs scale hardness	5.5
Luster	Adamantine - Resinous
Specific gravity	4.45
Density	4.45
Major varieties
hardness	5.5 on the Mohs scale
type locality	Naujakasik(Naajakasik), Tunulliarfik Fjord, Ilímaussaq complex, Narsaq, Kujalleq, Greenland

Britholite-(Ce) is a rare radioactive mineral with the chemical formula (Ce,Ca)₅(SiO₄)₃OH. It comes in a variety of different colors. Its type locality is Naujakasik (Naajakasik), Tunulliarfik Fjord, Ilímaussaq complex, Narsaq, Kujalleq, Greenland.

Discovery edit

The mineral was first discovered by Gustaf Flink in 1897 inside a nepheline-syenite at Naujakasik, Ilímaussaq complex, Greenland. It was named after the Greek word βρῖθος (brithos) which means "weight" referring to its high specific gravity, it was later named britholite-(Ce) due to the high amounts of cerium in its composition.^[2]

^ 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.
^ "Britholite-(Ce): Mineral information". Mindat.org. Retrieved 7 August 2020.

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