Tundrite-Ce

specimen number:
2282027

location:
Kangerdluarssak, Ilimaussaq, Greenland

description:
A really good example for this rare mineral with yellow green crystalline tundrite-ce on matrix. The specimen comes with a previous label from the University of Copenhagen as shown at the end of the video.

The Kangerdluarssak Fjord region, located within the Ilimaussaq alkaline complex in southern Greenland, is an internationally famous mineralogical locality characterized by highly unusual igneous rocks. Geologically, the area is defined by agpaitic nepheline syenites, such as kakortokites and naujaites, which formed during late-Proterozoic rifting around 1.16 billion years ago. These rock units are exceptionally enriched in incompatible elements like zirconium, titanium, and rare-earth elements, producing complex layers of eudialyte, sodalite, and aegirine. Early scientific exploration and sample collection began in the early nineteenth century following reconnaissance by Karl Ludwig Giesecke. While the region has seen extensive geological mapping, drilling, and localized specimen extraction since the mid-twentieth century, the difficult Arctic terrain and environmental considerations have kept operations limited primarily to scientific research, exploratory sampling, and small-scale gemstone harvesting rather than large-scale industrial quarrying.

Tundrite-(Ce) is a sodium cerium titanium silicate carbonate mineral that crystallizes in the triclinic system. Geologically, it forms as a late-stage hydrothermal or hyperagpaitic phase within highly differentiated nepheline syenite pegmatites, typically occurring in the transition zones of alkaline massifs. The mineral generally occurs as acicular needle-like crystals, flattened blades, or radiating, fan-shaped aggregates that exhibit distinctive brownish-yellow, greenish-yellow, or bright lemon-yellow colors with a vitreous to silky luster. It serves as a diagnostic mineral for highly specialized, peralkaline environments where rare-earth elements, titanium, and volatile carbonate fluids become heavily concentrated during the final stages of magmatic cooling.

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