Bastnasite-(Ce), Siderite

An uncommon example of creamy white bastnäsite-(Ce) from Mont Saint-Hilaire, collected and identified by noted field collector Peter Tarassoff in 1998. The bastnäsite appears to occur as flakes and masses within the matrix. There is also what appears to represent a pseudomorph after petersenite-(Ce), although this has not been fully analytically confirmed.

The piece also features numerous sharply defined, light brown siderite crystals along with bladed albite, creating an attractive and mineralogically interesting assemblage. Bastnäsite-(Ce), a rare earth fluorocarbonate, is a very uncommon species at Mont Saint-Hilaire, and specimens with clear provenance from one of the locality’s most respected collectors are especially desirable.

A noteworthy and specialized addition for collectors focused on rare-earth minerals, pseudomorphing species, or the distinctive and world-renowned mineralogy of Mont Saint-Hilaire.