Sahamalite-(Ce)

Sahamalite-(Ce)

Sahamalite-(Ce) is an IMA-recognized mineral species in the carbonate class, with the chemical formula Ce₂Mg(CO₃)₄.

It crystallizes in the monoclinic crystal system (space group P2_1/a).

Key properties: specific gravity 4.3; optically biaxial.

IMA symbol Shm-Ce, IMA status: approved, named in 1953.

Found as a rare accessory mineral in a rare-earth-bearing barite-dolomite carbonatite (Mountain Pass, California, USA).

It is found associated with Parisite, bastnäsite, barite, dolomite, ankerite, quartz, hematite (Mountain Pass, California, USA); dorrite, esseneite, titanian andradite.

The mineral was named to honor Professor Thure Georg Sahama (1910–1983), Finnish geochemist and petrologist, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland, who studied abundances of rare-earth elements.