Home Physical Sciences Françoisite-(Ce), a new mineral species from La Creusaz uranium deposit (Valais, Switzerland) and from Radium Ridge (Flinders Ranges, South Australia): Description and genesis
Article
Licensed
Unlicensed Requires Authentication

Françoisite-(Ce), a new mineral species from La Creusaz uranium deposit (Valais, Switzerland) and from Radium Ridge (Flinders Ranges, South Australia): Description and genesis

  • Nicolas Meisser EMAIL logo , Joël Brugger , Stefan Ansermet , Philippe Thélin and François Bussy
Published/Copyright: April 2, 2015
Become an author with De Gruyter Brill
Author Information
American Mineralogist
From the journal American Mineralogist Volume 95 Issue 10

Abstract

The new mineral françoisite-(Ce), (Ce,Nd,Ca)[(UO2)3O(OH)(PO4)2]·6H2O is the Ce-analog of françoisite-(Nd). It has been discovered simultaneously at the La Creusaz uranium deposit near Les Marécottes in Valais, Switzerland, and at the Number 2 uranium Workings, Radium Ridge near Mt. Painter, Arkaroola area, Northern Flinders Ranges in South Australia. Françoisite-(Ce) is a uranylbearing supergene mineral that results from the alteration under oxidative conditions of REE- and U4+- bearing hypogene minerals: allanite-(Ce), monazite-(Ce), ±uraninite at Les Marécottes; monazite-(Ce), ishikawaite-samarskite, and an unknown primary U-mineral at Radium Ridge. The REE composition of françoisite-(Ce) results from a short aqueous transport of REE leached out of primary minerals [most likely monazite-(Ce) at Radium Ridge and allanite-(Ce) at La Creusaz], with fractionation among REE resulting mainly from aqueous transport, with only limited Ce loss due to oxidation to Ce4+ during transport.

Keywords: Françoisite-(Ce); new mineral; rare earth elements; supergene
Received: 2009-10-1
Accepted: 2010-5-18
Published Online: 2015-4-2
Published in Print: 2010-10-1

© 2015 by Walter de Gruyter Berlin/Boston

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Ti-Al zoning of experimentally grown titanite in the system CaO-Al2O3-TiO2-SiO2-NaCl-H2O-(F): Evidence for small-scale fluid heterogeneity
  2. A new method for quantitative petrography based on image processing of chemical element maps: Part I. Mineral mapping applied to compacted bentonites
  3. A new method for quantitative petrography based on image processing of chemical element maps: Part II. Semi-quantitative porosity maps superimposed on mineral maps
  4. Enhancement of solid-state reaction rates by non-hydrostatic stress effects on polycrystalline diffusion kinetics
  5. (H3O)Fe(SO4)2 formed by dehydrating rhomboclase and its potential existence on Mars
  6. Crystal chemistry and low-temperature behavior of datolite: A single-crystal X-ray diffraction study
  7. Density and seismic velocities of chromitite body in oceanic mantle peridotite
  8. Packing schemes of cavities in selected clathrasils and zeolites and the analogous packings of atoms in crystal structures
  9. Temperature dependence of IR absorption of OH species in clinopyroxene
  10. Thermal behavior of vibrational phonons and hydroxyls of muscovite in dehydroxylation: In situ high-temperature infrared spectroscopic investigations
  11. Kinetics of Fe-oxidation/deprotonation process in Fe-rich phlogopite under isothermal conditions
  12. On the crystal chemistry of londonite [(Cs,K,Rb)Al4Be5B11O28]: A single-crystal neutron diffraction study at 300 and 20 K
  13. High-pressure melting of wüstite
  14. Primary Nb-Ta minerals in the Szklary pegmatite, Poland: New insights into controls of crystal chemistry and crystallization sequences
  15. Evolution of the interlayer space of hydrated montmorillonite as a function of temperature
  16. Morphology of pyrite in particulate matter from shallow submarine hydrothermal vents
  17. Influence of the fluid composition on diamond dissolution forms in carbonate melts
  18. Far infrared spectroscopy of carbonate minerals
  19. Assessment of the diamond-trap method for studying high-pressure fluids and melts and an improved freezing stage design for laser ablation ICP-MS analysis
  20. Françoisite-(Ce), a new mineral species from La Creusaz uranium deposit (Valais, Switzerland) and from Radium Ridge (Flinders Ranges, South Australia): Description and genesis
  21. Crystal chemistry and origin of grandidierite, ominelite, boralsilite, and werdingite from the Bory Granulite Massif, Czech Republic
  22. Lead-tellurium oxysalts from Otto Mountain near Baker, California: III. Thorneite, Pb6(Te26+O10)(CO3)Cl2(H2O), the first mineral with edge-sharing octahedral tellurate dimers
  23. Lead-tellurium oxysalts from Otto Mountain near Baker, California: IV. Markcooperite, Pb(UO2)Te6+O6, the first natural uranyl tellurate
  24. Lead-tellurium oxysalts from Otto Mountain near Baker, California: V. Timroseite, Pb2Cu52+(Te6+O6)2(OH)2, and paratimroseite, Pb2Cu42+(Te6+O6)2(H2O)2, two new tellurates with Te-Cu polyhedral sheets
  25. Lead-tellurium oxysalts from Otto Mountain near Baker, California: VI. Telluroperite, Pb3Te4+O4Cl2, the Te analog of perite and nadorite
  26. The determination of sulfate and sulfide species in hydrous silicate glasses using Raman spectroscopy
  27. The structure of crystals, glasses, and melts along the CaO-Al2O3 join: Results from Raman, Al L- and K-edge X-ray absorption, and 27Al NMR spectroscopy
  28. Ordering of iron vacancies in monoclinic jarosites
https://doi.org/10.2138/am.2010.3413
Keywords for this article
Françoisite-(Ce); new mineral; rare earth elements; supergene

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Ti-Al zoning of experimentally grown titanite in the system CaO-Al2O3-TiO2-SiO2-NaCl-H2O-(F): Evidence for small-scale fluid heterogeneity
  2. A new method for quantitative petrography based on image processing of chemical element maps: Part I. Mineral mapping applied to compacted bentonites
  3. A new method for quantitative petrography based on image processing of chemical element maps: Part II. Semi-quantitative porosity maps superimposed on mineral maps
  4. Enhancement of solid-state reaction rates by non-hydrostatic stress effects on polycrystalline diffusion kinetics
  5. (H3O)Fe(SO4)2 formed by dehydrating rhomboclase and its potential existence on Mars
  6. Crystal chemistry and low-temperature behavior of datolite: A single-crystal X-ray diffraction study
  7. Density and seismic velocities of chromitite body in oceanic mantle peridotite
  8. Packing schemes of cavities in selected clathrasils and zeolites and the analogous packings of atoms in crystal structures
  9. Temperature dependence of IR absorption of OH species in clinopyroxene
  10. Thermal behavior of vibrational phonons and hydroxyls of muscovite in dehydroxylation: In situ high-temperature infrared spectroscopic investigations
  11. Kinetics of Fe-oxidation/deprotonation process in Fe-rich phlogopite under isothermal conditions
  12. On the crystal chemistry of londonite [(Cs,K,Rb)Al4Be5B11O28]: A single-crystal neutron diffraction study at 300 and 20 K
  13. High-pressure melting of wüstite
  14. Primary Nb-Ta minerals in the Szklary pegmatite, Poland: New insights into controls of crystal chemistry and crystallization sequences
  15. Evolution of the interlayer space of hydrated montmorillonite as a function of temperature
  16. Morphology of pyrite in particulate matter from shallow submarine hydrothermal vents
  17. Influence of the fluid composition on diamond dissolution forms in carbonate melts
  18. Far infrared spectroscopy of carbonate minerals
  19. Assessment of the diamond-trap method for studying high-pressure fluids and melts and an improved freezing stage design for laser ablation ICP-MS analysis
  20. Françoisite-(Ce), a new mineral species from La Creusaz uranium deposit (Valais, Switzerland) and from Radium Ridge (Flinders Ranges, South Australia): Description and genesis
  21. Crystal chemistry and origin of grandidierite, ominelite, boralsilite, and werdingite from the Bory Granulite Massif, Czech Republic
  22. Lead-tellurium oxysalts from Otto Mountain near Baker, California: III. Thorneite, Pb6(Te26+O10)(CO3)Cl2(H2O), the first mineral with edge-sharing octahedral tellurate dimers
  23. Lead-tellurium oxysalts from Otto Mountain near Baker, California: IV. Markcooperite, Pb(UO2)Te6+O6, the first natural uranyl tellurate
  24. Lead-tellurium oxysalts from Otto Mountain near Baker, California: V. Timroseite, Pb2Cu52+(Te6+O6)2(OH)2, and paratimroseite, Pb2Cu42+(Te6+O6)2(H2O)2, two new tellurates with Te-Cu polyhedral sheets
  25. Lead-tellurium oxysalts from Otto Mountain near Baker, California: VI. Telluroperite, Pb3Te4+O4Cl2, the Te analog of perite and nadorite
  26. The determination of sulfate and sulfide species in hydrous silicate glasses using Raman spectroscopy
  27. The structure of crystals, glasses, and melts along the CaO-Al2O3 join: Results from Raman, Al L- and K-edge X-ray absorption, and 27Al NMR spectroscopy
  28. Ordering of iron vacancies in monoclinic jarosites
Sign up now to receive a 20% welcome discount
Institutional Access
How does access work?
Have an idea on how to improve our website?
Please write us.
© 2026 De Gruyter Brill
Downloaded on 8.2.2026 from https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.2138/am.2010.3413/html
Scroll to top button