Parisite
Current inventory:  0 gems
 

  
Parisite was named after J.J. Paris, former manager of the Muzo emerald mine, Muzo, Colombia.

Discovered in 1835; IMA status: Valid (pre-IMA; Grandfathered)

Chemistry

Chemical Formula:

Ca(Ce,La)₂(CO₃)₃F₂

Calcium Cerium Lanthanum Carbonare Fluoride

Molecular Weight:

537.24 gm

Composition:

Calcium

7.46 %

Ca

10.44 %

CaO

Lanthanum

23.27 %

La

27.29 %

La₂O₃

Cerium

28.69 %

Ce

33.60 %

Ce₂O₃

Carbon

6.71 %

C

24.58 %

CO₂

Oxygen

26.80 %

O

Fluorine

7.07 %

F

7.07 %

F

-  %

F

-2.98 %

-O=F₂

100.00 %

100.00 %

= TOTAL OXIDE

Classification

Mineral Classification:

Carbonates

Strunz 8th Ed. ID:

5/C.07-70

Nickel-Strunz 10th Ed. ID:

5.BD.20b

5 : CARBONATES (NITRATES)
B : Carbonates with additional anions, without H₂O
D : With rare earth elements (REE)

Related to:

The Ce-analogue of Parisite-(Nd) and Unnamed (La-analogue of Parisite-(Ce)).

Varieties:

None

Synonyms:

None

Crystal Data

Crystallography:

Trigonal - Pyramidal  (Monoclinic - Pseudohexagonal)

Crystal Habit:

Steep doubly-terminated pyramidal crystals, to 24 cm; many forms, but oscillatory and sceptered due to intergrowths with bastnasite-(Ce), synchysite-(Ce), rontgenite-(Ce), cordylite.

Twinning:

None

Physical Properties

Cleavage:

Distinct on {0001}

Fracture:

Splintery to Sub-Conchoidal

Tenacity:

Brittle

Moh's Hardness:

4.5

Density:

4.33 - 4.39 (g/cm³)

Luminescence:

Non-fluorescent; may exhibit dark red cathodoluminescence

Radioactivity:

Weak; GRapi = 50,156.22 (Gamma Ray American Petroleum Institute Units)

Other:

Soluble in hot strong acids.

Optical Properties

Color:

Brownish yellow, orange, orange-brown, brown, wax-yellow, grayish yellow, lilac; colorless to yellow in transmitted light

Transparency:

Transparent to translucent

Luster:

Vitreous to resinous, pearly on {0001} parting

Refractive Index:

1.676 - 1.757  Uniaxial ( + )

Birefringence:

0.0810

Dispersion:

n/a

Pleochroism:

Weak; O = Light yellow, E = Golden yellow

Occurances

Geological Setting:

An accessory mineral in differentiated alkalic massifs, granite pegmatites, and RE-rich carbonatites.

Common Associations:

Bastnäsite, Synchysite, Cordylite, Ancylite, Calcite, Fluorite, Quartz

Common Impurities:

None

Type Locality:

Muzo, Vasquez-Yacopi Mining District, Boyacá Department, Colombia

Year Discovered:

1835

View mineral photos:

Parisite Mineral Photos and Locations

More Information

Mindat.org
Webmineral.com

Parisite was named for J.J. Paris, former manager of the Muzo emerald mine, Muzo, Colombia. Parisite is one of a few rare earth carbonate minerals that also includes Bastnäsite and Burbankite. Parisite contains cerium and lanthanum in its chemical formula. Parisite is a very rare gem and usually very small due to lack of large, clean crystals.

Distribution: Many localities, most minor. Fine crystals from the Muzo district, Boyacá Province, Colombia. In the USA, in Montana, very large crystals at the Snowbird deposit and the nearby Cedar Log prospect, Mineral County, and from Pyrites, 13 km east of Florence, Ravalli County; at Quincy, Norfolk County, Massachusetts. From Mont Saint-Hilaire, Quebec, Canada. At Holmestrand, Vestfold, Norway. In the Trimouns talc deposit, six km northeast of Luzenac, Ari`ege, France. From Monterfano, Lombardy, Italy. Around Gallt y Wenallt, Gwynedd, Wales. In the Khibiny massif, Kola Peninsula, Russia. On Mt. Malosa, Zomba district, Malawi. At Ifasina, Torendrika, Madagascar. In the Lueshe carbonatite, 150 km north of Goma, Kivu Province, Congo (Zaire). At the Shirashi pegmatite, Kobe, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. In the Bayan Obo Fe–Nb–RE deposit, 130 km north of Baotou, Inner Mongolia, China. At Nam Nam Xe, Vietnam.
 

  
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