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Ancylite-(Ce) crystal
© Doug Merson
Ancylite-(Ce) crystals
© Doug Merson
Ancylite-(Ce) crystal
© Stephan Wolfsried
Ancylite-(Ce) crystals
© Stephan Wolfsried
SrCe(CO(OH) · H
Ancylite-(Ce) occurs abundantly as excellent sharp single or group of crystals. It is also frequent as spherical aggregates and druses as large pseudomorphs after other minerals.
Ancylite-(Ce) is one of the latest minerals in the paragenetic sequence of the various mineralogical environments and on some specimens more than one distinct generation of the mineral has been noted.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS:
Color is predominantly pink, rarely pale orange and pinkish gray in
larger masses.
Luster varies from dull to vitreous.
Diaphaneity is transparent to translucent (crystals).
Crystal System is orthorhombic; Pmcn
Crystal Habits include the rhombic prism terminated with rhombic
pyramid. Less commonly as short prism with pyramidal termination
and rarely as thin tabular crystals or compact dull spheres.
Cleavage: is not apparent.
Fracture is conchoidal.
Hardness is 4.
Specific Gravity is approximately 4.1 g/cm
Streak is white.
Associated Minerals include aegirine, albite, amphibole group,
analcime, astrophyllite, bastnäsite, biotite, calcite, catapleiite,
epididymite, fluorapatite, fluorite, galena, genthelvite, leucophanite,
mangan- neptunite, microcline, natrolite, nenadkevichite, phlogopite,
polylithionite, pyrochlore, rhodocrosite, sérandite, sphalerite and
wurtzite.
Distinguishing Features: Color change when viewed under
incadescent light as opposed to that under fluorescent light.
Origin: Named in 1899 for Greek for curved in allusion to the rounded
and distorted character of the crystals.
CLASSIFICATION:
Dana System
# 16b.1.1.1
Strunz Classification
# V/E.8-30
REFERENCES:
MinRec 21:295-296 (1990), Dana 8:497 (1997)
DISTRIBUTION AND RARITY AT MONT SAINT-HILAIRE:
MSH
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Ancylite-(Ce) crystal
© Steven Stuart
Ancylite-(Ce) crystals
© Thomas Witzke