Mineral description : Bastnasite

Bastnasite from Bastnäs. The dark yellow part to the right.

Yellow bastnasite from Bastnäs. With black allanite, red cerite and green aktinolite.

Mineral class	Calcites : Bastnasite-Dawsonite group.
Chemical formula	Ce(F/CO3)
Crystal system	Hexagonal
Habitus	As compact and earthy masses.
Cleavage
Hardness	4-4.5
Density	4.9-5.2
Color	Wax yellow to light reddish-brown.
Streak
Luster	Vitreous, greasy.
Description
Occurance	As crusts on weathered cerite ore.
Associates	Cerite
Notes	Type locality is in Bastnäs, Sweden.
Locations	A rare mineral with a couple of good localities in Sweden. In Bastnäs. cerite mine, Riddarhyttan, Västmanland. Commonly as yellow to brown yellow crusts on weathered cerite. Norbergs mine field. Åsgruvan. Stripåsen. Östanmossa. S. Hackspiksgruvan. Trimouns, France. With crystalline talc. Ilimaussaq, Greenland. Zomba district, Malawi.

To carbonates index.

Mineral group index.

Main index.

If you have some questions, suggestions or comments you are welcome to write me a line or two.