Formula :
(Ce,La,Nd)2[CO3]3 * 8 H2O
System: orthorhombic Hardness:2½ Rarity:rare
Strunz id:V/D.3-30 -
NITRATES, CARBONATES and BORATES
Name origin: Lanthanite was first described from Bastnäs, Sweden by Berzelius (1824). In the mid-1980s, Bastnäs lanthanite was assumed to be La-dominant, and thus named as lanthanite-(La). However, Atencio et al. (1989) re-examined lanthanite from Bastnäs, Sweden and the study indicated that the mineral (at least in the sample studied) is Ce- rather than La-dominant. The official type locality of lanthanite-(Ce) is Britannia mine, Snowdon, Wales, UK (Bevins et al., 1985), however it was in reality first found at Bastnäs mine, Sweden.
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