Zhonghuacerite-(Ce) (ultra rare) Vajdak Coll.

Item Description

This unique, barium-cerium-carbonate-halide, a member of the bastnasite group is in a very peculiar situation. It has a IMA CNMMN-approved name for a non-approved mineral! The so called zhonghuacerite-(Ce) was never submitted to the IMA CNMMN, hence it was never approved. It entered the mineralogical literature via a review in the New Minerals section of Am. Min. 67, 1078. The description was published in Chinese and reviewer was not aware that the mineral was not approved by IMA. The mineral was listed in the Glossary of Mineral Species (Fleischer 1983 and Fleisher and Mandarino 1995). Zhonghuacerite was published in 1981 without having been submitted to the CNMMN. The name was changed by the CNMMN in 1987 to zhonghuacerite-(Ce) as part of the update of mineral names with Levinson modifiers. Information courtesy MINDAT. Ex Josef Vajdak Collection. This is an extremely rich and rare example, with yellow crystals and crusts found on all sides of the sculptural wedge of matrix.