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Phosphate

Dyrnaesite-(La)

Na₈Ce⁴⁺(La,REE)₂(PO₄)₆
Crystal systemOrthorhombic
ClassPhosphate
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Dyrnaesite-(La)

Dyrnaesite-(La) is a rare-earth phosphate mineral with the formula Na8Ce4+(La,REE)2(PO4)6. Dyrnaesite-(La) is related to vitusite-(Ce), another rare-earth phosphate mineral. It comes from lujavrite, a type of alkaline syenite rock, of South Greenland. Dyrnaesite-(La) is one of few known minerals with essential tetravalent cerium, the other two being cerianite-(Ce) and stetindite.

Intro adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).

Dyrnaesite-(La) is an IMA-recognized mineral species in the phosphate class, with the chemical formula Na₈Ce⁴⁺(La,REE)₂(PO₄)₆.

It crystallizes in the orthorhombic crystal system (space group Pnma). It is a member of the Vitusite structural group.

Key properties: specific gravity 3.68; White streak; Vitreous luster; optically biaxial.

IMA symbol Dyr-La, IMA status: approved, named in 2014.

An accessory constituent (late magmatic) of hyperagpaitic arfvedsonite lujavrite in an alkaline igneous complex.

It is found associated with Arfvedsonite, albite, microcline, nepheline, sodalite, aegirine, analcime.

The name refers to the base camp area, Dyrnæs (animal headland), north of Narsaq, Kujalleq Kommune, South Greenland, with the suffix for the dominant REE.

Index entry. This entry combines official IMA/RRUFF species data with published physical-property data and a Wikipedia introduction — a full written entry hasn’t been published yet. Browse more D minerals or help write this entry.