Abstract
The new mineral fluorcalciobritholite, ideally Ca 3 Ce 2 (SiO 4 ) 2 (PO 4 )F, has been found at Mount Kukisvumchorr, Khibiny alkaline complex, Kola Peninsula, Russia, in veinlets which contains aggregates of orthoclase, nepheline, sodalite and biotite in association with grains of fayalite, gadolinite-(Ce), zircon, monazite-(Ce), zirconolite (“polymignite”), fluorapatite, fluorite, molybdenite, lollingite and graphite. Fluorcalciobritholite forms long-prismatic hexagonal crystals up to 0.5 x 10 mm; the main crystal form is the hexagonal prism {10–10}. The mineral is transparent, with a pale pinkish to brown colour and a white streak. The hardness (Mohs) is 5.5, and the observed density is 4.2(1) g/cm 3 . Optically, it is uniaxial (−) with ω 1.735(5), e 1.730(5). Electron microprobe gave the following empirical formula based on [Si+P+S] = 3 apfu : [Ca 2.80 (Ce 0.93 La 0.54 Nd 0.26 Y 0.18 Pr 0.08 Sm 0.03 Gd 0.03 Dy 0.02 Yb 0.02 Er 0.01 ) ∑2.12 Th 0.04 Mn 0.03 Sr 0.02 ] ∑4.99 [(Si 1.94 P 1.06 ) ∑3 O 12 ] [F 0.76 O 0.22 Cl 0.01 ] ∑0.99 (Z = 2). The IR spectrum of metamict fluorcalciobritholite from Siberia showed a marked similarity with those of hydroxylbritholite-(Ce) and hydroxylbritholite-(Y). The strongest lines of the X-ray powder pattern [ d in A ( I ) ( hkl )] are: 3.51 (45) 002, 3.15 (70) 102, 2.85 (100) 211, 121, 2.78 (60) 300. The mineral is hexagonal, space group P 6 3 / m , with a = 9.580(7), c = 6.985(4) A, V = 555.2(7) A 3 . The crystal structure was refined from single-crystal X-ray diffraction data to R F = 0.029. Fluorcalciobritholite, whose simplified formula is (Ca,REE) 5 [(Si,P)O 4 ] 3 F, differs from fluorbritholite in having Ca > ∑REE, and differs from fluorapatite in having Si > P. Its compositional field falls within the limits Ca 2.5 REE 2.5 (SiO 4 ) 2.5 (PO 4 ) 0.5 F (boundary with fluorbritholite) and Ca 3.5 REE 1.5 (SiO 4 ) 1.5 (PO 4 ) 1.5 F (boundary with fluorapatite). Both the mineral and its name have been approved by the IMA Commission on New Minerals and Mineral Names.
Published Version
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