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Celestine


Celestine

Celestine has got the chemical formula SrSO4 and it belogs to the sulfates. The name celestine comes from the Greek word coelestis which means heavenly. He has got his name, because of his blue color. He has got huge beautiful blue, colorless, white and yellow crystals. Usually the form of the crystals is a column or a board. Celestine often crystallizes in geodes. It is a very important strontium mineral and strontium is made of it. In some properties Celestine and Baryte are very similiar to each other, for example the form of their crystals. The reason is that both minerals are sulfates and both elements strontium and barium are alkaline earth metals (2nd main group of the periodic table of the elements) and so they are similiar to each other. Celestine burns with a red flame. The red flame is caused by strontium. Celestine is used for pyrotechnical applications like fireworks and tracer ammunition. Celestine can be found in Germany, in Italy (Sicily), in the USA and in Russia. In Madagscar there are beautiful transparent blue celestine crystals.

Data about Celestine
Chemical formula SrSO4
Mineral class sulfates
Crystal system rhombical
Hardness 3 to 3.5
Density 3.9 g/cm3 to 4 g/cm3
Color colorless, white, blue, yellow
Line color white
Gloss glass gloss
Break shell, inflexibly
Fissileness perfectly


Author and Webmaster: Lukas Czarnecki

If you have got questions about celestine you can send me an e-mail under the following adress:
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Last Update: 29.03.2005