Celestite - Encyclopedia


    Class : Sulfates, chromates, molybdates
    Subclass : Anhydrous sulfates
    Crystal system : Orthorhombic
    Chemistry : SrSO4
    Rarity : Common

Celestite (or celestine) is a common sulphate that forms a continuous series with baryte. It is a mineral of sedimentary origin, typical of evaporitic deposits where it is associated with gypsum, anhydrite or dolomite. Celestite is also known in clusters and geodes in limestones and sandstones, more rarely as a matrix of hydrothermal lead veins (Pontpéan, France). It takes its name from the latin caelestis (heavenly), due to its pale blue color. Celestite occurs in flattened or elongated tabular crystals, resembling those of barite, they are sometimes acicular and grouped in clumps. It also forms small fibrous veins, nodules or sometimes globular masses. Celestite is colorless, white, gray or brownish, and the pale blue color to which it owes its name is less common. Celestite is an important ore of strontium used in pyrotechnics, agri-food, and more limited in medicine.

Celestite from Montalieu, Isère, France
Celestite from Oppédette, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, France
Celestite from Beineu-Kyr, Tuarkyr, Turkmenistan
termination of a celestite from Sakoany, Madagascar

Celestite in the World

The most beautiful crystallization of celestite come since 1967 from Madagascar (Sakoany), where beautiful transparent blue crystals that can exceed 10 cm  and geodes can reach the meter ! Mexico has also produced very beautiful crystals in Matehuala (San Luis Potosi) of a deep blue and up to 40 cm. In Sicily (Agrigento, Catania, Caltanissetta) celestite associated with sulfur is found in white to bluish decimetric crystals. At Put-in-Bay (Ohio) pale blue crystals implanted in dolostone geodes can reach 75 cm. Good specimens have also been found in England (Clifton), Scotland (Strontian), USA, Canada, Poland and Germany.

Celestite in France

In France, elongated bluish crystals of 5 cm are known in the Alpine Triassic at Bousvesse-Quirien (Isère), but also in smaller cristals at Montalieu (picture on left), Oppédette (Alpes-de-Haute-Provence), Condorcet (Drôme), Pimont (Jura), Brousseval (Haute-Marne), Clavelas (Hautes-Alpes).

Twinning and special forms

Twinning is rare and difficult to observe.
Due to sedimentary origin of celestite, it can potentially epigenize some fossils even if this does not seem to have been observed yet.

Fakes and scams

There are no fake records for this species.



Hardness : 3 to 3.5
Density : 3.9 to 4
Fracture : Irregular
Trace : White




TP : Transparent to opaque
IR : 1.621 to 1.632
Birefringence : 0.009 to 0.010
Optical character : Biaxe -
Pleochroism : Very weak
Fluorescence : White, blue


Solubility : Nitric and hydrochloric acid

Magnetism : None
Radioactivity : None

ReCaptcha

This service is used to secure web forms of our website and required if you want to contact us. By accepting it you agree to Google's privacy policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy

Google Analytics

Google Analytics is a service used on our website that tracks, reports traffic and measures how users interact with our website content in order for us to improve it and provide better services.

Facebook

Our website allows you to like or share its content on Facebook social network. By activating and using it you agree to Facebook's privacy policy: https://www.facebook.com/policy/cookies/

YouTube

Integrated videos provided by YouTube are used on our website. By accepting to watch them you agree to Google's privacy policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy

Twitter

Integrated tweets and share services of Twitter are used on our website. By accepting and using these you agree to Twitter's privacy policy: https://help.twitter.com/en/rules-and-policies/twitter-cookies

PInterest

Our website allows you to share its content on PInterest social network. By activating and using it you agree to PInterest's privacy policy: https://policy.pinterest.com/en/privacy-policy/