Ancylite
Encyclopedia
Ancylite is a group of hydrous strontium
carbonate minerals containing cerium
, lanthanum
and minor amounts of other rare earth element
s. The composition is Sr(Ce,La)(CO3)2(OH)·(H2O) with ancylite-Ce enriched in cerium and ancylite-La in lanthanum.
Ancylite was first described in 1899 for an occurrence in the Narsarsuk pegmatite
in west Greenland
and named from the Greek αυκιλος for curved in reference to its rounded or distorted crystal form.
Strontium
Strontium is a chemical element with the symbol Sr and the atomic number 38. An alkaline earth metal, strontium is a soft silver-white or yellowish metallic element that is highly reactive chemically. The metal turns yellow when exposed to air. It occurs naturally in the minerals celestine and...
carbonate minerals containing cerium
Cerium
Cerium is a chemical element with the symbol Ce and atomic number 58. It is a soft, silvery, ductile metal which easily oxidizes in air. Cerium was named after the dwarf planet . Cerium is the most abundant of the rare earth elements, making up about 0.0046% of the Earth's crust by weight...
, lanthanum
Lanthanum
Lanthanum is a chemical element with the symbol La and atomic number 57.Lanthanum is a silvery white metallic element that belongs to group 3 of the periodic table and is the first element of the lanthanide series. It is found in some rare-earth minerals, usually in combination with cerium and...
and minor amounts of other rare earth element
Rare earth element
As defined by IUPAC, rare earth elements or rare earth metals are a set of seventeen chemical elements in the periodic table, specifically the fifteen lanthanides plus scandium and yttrium...
s. The composition is Sr(Ce,La)(CO3)2(OH)·(H2O) with ancylite-Ce enriched in cerium and ancylite-La in lanthanum.
Ancylite was first described in 1899 for an occurrence in the Narsarsuk pegmatite
Pegmatite
A pegmatite is a very crystalline, intrusive igneous rock composed of interlocking crystals usually larger than 2.5 cm in size; such rocks are referred to as pegmatitic....
in west Greenland
Greenland
Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for...
and named from the Greek αυκιλος for curved in reference to its rounded or distorted crystal form.