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Bridgesite-(Ce), a new rare earth element sulfate, with a unique crystal structure, from Tynebottom Mine, Cumbria, United Kingdom

Part of: Minerals, crystal structures and geochemistry - Peter Williams special issue

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 April 2022

Mike S. Rumsey Open the ORCID record for Mike S. Rumsey [Opens in a new window] ,
Frank C. Hawthorne Open the ORCID record for Frank C. Hawthorne [Opens in a new window] ,
John Spratt Open the ORCID record for John Spratt [Opens in a new window] ,
Jens Najorka  and
Wren Montgomery
Mike S. Rumsey*
Affiliation:
Mineral and Planetary Science Collections, Department of Science, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, United Kingdom
Frank C. Hawthorne
Affiliation:
Department of Geological Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3T 2N2, Canada
John Spratt
Affiliation:
Core Research Laboratories, Department of Science, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, United Kingdom
Jens Najorka
Affiliation:
Core Research Laboratories, Department of Science, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, United Kingdom
Wren Montgomery
Affiliation:
Core Research Laboratories, Department of Science, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, United Kingdom
*
*Author for correspondence: Mike S. Rumsey, Email: m.rumsey@nhm.ac.uk
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Abstract

Bridgesite-(Ce), (IMA2019-034), was discovered at Tynebottom Mine, Cumbria, UK. It occurs as thin (1–2 μm) translucent blue crystals with a lath-like to acicular habit, aggregated into thin crusts and is associated mainly with brochantite, malachite, serpierite, devilline, gypsum, aragonite, jarosite, pyrite, lanthanite-(Ce) and undifferentiated iron oxyhydroxides, it is often intergrown with these other minerals. The lustre, hardness, cleavage and parting could not be determined, nor could density be measured due to crystal size. It has a pale blue streak and is brittle with a splintery fracture. Bridgesite-(Ce) is biaxial (–), shows no pleochroism and has refractive indices (white light): α = 1.526(2), β = 1.564(2), γ = 1.572(2) and 2V(calc) = 48.3°. The empirical formula calculated on the basis of 44 negative charges is Ca0.86REEΣ1.99Al0.07Cu5.95(SO4)3.99(SiO4)0.05(PO4)0.02(OH)11.52⋅8H2O. The idealised formula is CaCe2Cu6(SO4)4(OH)12⋅8H2O, requiring (wt.%): 3.91 CaO, 22.89 Ce2O3, 33.28 CuO, 22.33 SO3 and 17.59 H2O. Bridgesite-(Ce) is monoclinic, space group C2/m, a = 24.801(5), b = 6.3520(13), c = 11.245(2) Å, β = 114.51(3)°, V = 1611.9(6) Å and Z = 2. The five most intense X-ray diffraction peaks in the measured pattern are [d in Å (I, %) (hkl)]: 11.3 (100) (200), 6.391 (15) (201), 2.770 (8) (420), 3.194 (6) (402) and 4.858 (5) (310). The crystal structure was solved using single crystal data and refined to an R1 index of 5.86%. Bridgesite-(Ce) contains three distinct Cu sites containing Cu2+, two are coordinated octahedrally and one is square pyramidal. The octahedra form chains through edge sharing parallel to the b-axis which are linked by the square pyramid to form sheets oriented parallel to {100}. Sulfate tetrahedra decorate the sheets which are held together by interstitial REE3+, Ca2+ and hydrogen bonding. The structure is unique. Despite apparent similarity in chemical formula, bridgesite-(Ce) is not closely related to any other natural Cu-sulfate mineral. An FTIR absorption spectra is presented for reference purposes.

Keywords

new mineralunique element combinationcrystal structureceriumREEUnited KingdomTynebottompost mininganthropocene
Type
Article
Information
Mineralogical Magazine , Volume 86 , Issue 4 , August 2022 , pp. 570 - 576
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of The Mineralogical Society of Great Britain and Ireland

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Footnotes

This paper is part of a thematic set that honours the contributions of Peter Williams

Associate Editor: G. Diego Gatta

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