| Celestine | |
 Clear grey-blue celestine crystal crust from Madagascar |
|
| General | |
|---|---|
| Category | Sulfate mineral |
| Chemical formula | SrSO4 sometimes contains minor calcium and/or barium |
| Identification | |
| Crystal system | Orthorhombic |
| Cleavage | Perfect on one crystal face parallel to long axis (001), and nearly perfect on a second face (110). |
| Mohs Scale hardness | 3 - 3.5 |
| Streak | white |
| 3.95 - 3.97 | |
Celestine or celestite[1] (SrSO4) is a mineral consisting of strontium sulfate. The mineral is named for its occasional delicate blue color.
Celestine occurs as crystals, and also in compact massive and fibrous forms. It is mostly found in sedimentary rocks, often associated with the minerals gypsum, anhydrite, and halite.
The mineral is found worldwide, usually in small quantities. Pale blue crystal specimens are found in Madagascar.
The bodies of Acantharea are made of celestine, unlike those of other radiolarians which are made of silica.
In carbonate marine sediments, burial dissolution is a recognised mechanism of celestine precipitation [2]
The largest known celestine geode is located near the village of Put-in-Bay, Ohio on South Bass Island in Lake Erie. The geode is 35 feet in diameter at its widest point. It has been converted into a viewing cave, and the crystals which once composed the floor of the geode have been removed. The Crystal Cave has celestine crystals as wide as 18 inches across and weighing up to an estimated 300 lb.
See also
References
- ^ Nickel, Ernie.; Nichols, Monte. Mineral Names, Redefinitions & Discreditations Passed by the CNMMN of the IMA, Materials Data, Inc., 2004, p. 26 - Celestine is the approved name for this mineral by the International Mineralogical Association Commission on New Minerals and Mineral Names (CNMMN). Although celestite finds frequent usage in some minerological texts, the name has been discredited as a valid mineral name by this organization.
- ^ Baker, Paul A.; Bloomer, Sherman H. The origin of celestite in deep-sea carbonate sediments Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, vol. 52, Issue 2, pp.335-339, 1988
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