Celestine
Clear grey-blue celestine crystal crust from Madagascar
General
Category	Mineral
Chemical formula	SrSO4 sometimes contains minor calcium and/or barium
Identification
Crystal system	Orthorhombic
Cleavage	Perfect on one crystal face parallel to long axis (001), and nearly perfect on a second face (110).
Mohs Scale hardness	3 - 3.5
Streak	white
Specific gravity	3.95 - 3.97

Celestine or celestite^[1] (SrSO₄) is a mineral consisting of strontium sulfate. The mineral is named for its occasional delicate blue color. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (515x777, 115 KB) File links The following pages link to this file: Celestite Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or scanner used to create or digitize it. ... Minerals are natural compounds formed through geological processes. ... A chemical formula (also called molecular formula) is a concise way of expressing information about the atoms that constitute a particular chemical compound. ... General Name, Symbol, Number strontium, Sr, 38 Chemical series alkaline earth metals Group, Period, Block 2, 5, s Appearance silvery white metallic Atomic mass 87. ... General Name, Symbol, Number sulfur, S, 16 Chemical series nonmetals Group, Period, Block 16, 3, p Appearance lemon yellow Atomic mass 32. ... General Name, Symbol, Number oxygen, O, 8 Chemical series Nonmetals, chalcogens Group, Period, Block 16, 2, p Appearance colorless (gas) very pale blue (liquid) Atomic mass 15. ... In mineralogy and crystallography, a crystal structure is a unique arrangement of atoms in a crystal. ... Cleavage, in mineralogy, is the tendency of crystalline materials to split along definite planes, creating smooth surfaces, of which there are several named types: Basal cleavage: cleavage parallel to the base of a crystal, or to the plane of the lateral axes. ... Mohs scale of mineral hardness characterizes the scratch resistance of various minerals through the ability of a harder material to scratch a softer. ... Minerals are natural compounds formed through geological processes. ... Relative density (also known as specific gravity) is a measure of the density of a material. ... General Name, Symbol, Number strontium, Sr, 38 Chemical series alkaline earth metals Group, Period, Block 2, 5, s Appearance silvery white metallic Atomic mass 87. ... General Name, Symbol, Number sulfur, S, 16 Chemical series nonmetals Group, Period, Block 16, 3, p Appearance lemon yellow Atomic mass 32. ... General Name, Symbol, Number oxygen, O, 8 Chemical series Nonmetals, chalcogens Group, Period, Block 16, 2, p Appearance colorless (gas) very pale blue (liquid) Atomic mass 15. ... Minerals are natural compounds formed through geological processes. ... General Name, Symbol, Number strontium, Sr, 38 Chemical series alkaline earth metals Group, Period, Block 2, 5, s Appearance silvery white metallic Atomic mass 87. ... In inorganic chemistry, a sulfate (IUPAC-recommended spelling; also sulphate in British English) is a salt of sulfuric acid. ... Color is an important part of the visual arts. ...

Celestine from the Machow Mine, Poland.

Celestine occurs as crystals, and also in compact massive and fibrous forms. It is mostly found in sedimentary rocks, often associated with the minerals gypsum, anhydrite, and halite. Photograph of a Celestine specimen from the Machow Mine, Poland taken by Dlloyd. ... Photograph of a Celestine specimen from the Machow Mine, Poland taken by Dlloyd. ... Quartz crystal Copper(II) sulfate and iodine crystal Synthetic bismuth crystal Insulin crystals Gallium, a metal that easily forms large single crystals A huge monocrystal of potassium dihydrogen phosphate grown from solution by Saint-Gobain for the megajoule laser of CEA. In chemistry and mineralogy, a crystal is a solid... Two types of sedimentary rock: limey shale overlaid by limestone. ... Gypsum is a very soft mineral composed of calcium sulfate dihydrate, with the chemical formula CaSO4·2H2O. // Heating gypsum to between 100°C and 150°C (302°F) partially dehydrates the mineral by driving off exactly 75% of the water contained in its chemical structure. ... Anhydrite is a mineral - anhydrous calcium sulfate, CaSO4. ... Halite is the mineral form of sodium chloride, NaCl, commonly known as rock salt. ...

The mineral is found worldwide, usually in small quantities. Pale blue crystal specimens are found in Madagascar.

The bodies of Acantharea are made of celestine, unlike those of other radiolarians which are made of silica. The Acantharea are a small group of radiolarian protozoa, distinguished mainly by their skeletons. ... Classes Polycystinea Acantharea Sticholonchea Radiolarians (also radiolaria) are amoeboid protozoa that produce intricate mineral skeletons, typically with a central capsule dividing the cell into inner and outer portions, called endoplasm and ectoplasm. ... R-phrases R42 R43 R49 S-phrases S22 S36 S37 S45 S53 Flash point non-flammable Supplementary data page Structure and properties n, εr, etc. ...

In carbonate marine sediments, burial dissolution is a recognised mechanism of celestine precipitation ^[2]

Celestine geode section

The largest known celestine geode is located near the village of Put-in-Bay, Ohio on South Bass Island in Lake Erie. The geode is 35 feet in diameter at its widest point. It has been converted into a viewing cave, and the crystals which once composed the floor of the geode have been removed. The Crystal Cave has celestine crystals as wide as 18 inches across and weighing up to an estimated 300 lb. Celestite Source: US Government File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Celestite Source: US Government File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Geode, halved and polished Geode, halved and polished Geodes (Greek geoides, earthlike) are geological rock formations which occur in sedimentary and certain volcanic rocks. ... Put-in-Bay, Ohio, looking out towards Lake Erie Put-in-Bay is an incorporated village located on South Bass Island, Ottawa County, Ohio. ... Map of the Bass Islands. ... Lake Erie (pronounced ) is the eleventh largest lake on Earth[2] and, of the five Great Lakes of North America, it is the fourth largest by surface area, the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

See also

• List of minerals

Gem animals. ...

References

1. ^ Nickel, Ernie.; Nichols, Monte. Mineral Names, Redefinitions & Discreditations Passed by the CNMMN of the IMA, Materials Data, Inc., 2004, p. 26 - Celestine is the approved name for this mineral by the International Mineralogical Association Commission on New Minerals and Mineral Names (CNMMN). Although celestite finds frequent usage in some minerological texts, the name has been discredited as a valid mineral name by this organization.
2. ^ Baker, Paul A.; Bloomer, Sherman H. The origin of celestite in deep-sea carbonate sediments Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, vol. 52, Issue 2, pp.335-339, 1988