Image: <bdi><a href="https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q56247090" class="extiw" title="d:Q56247090"><span title="mineral collector and dealer">Robert M. Lavinsky</span></a></bdi> (CC BY-SA 3.0)
orthorhombiccommonSulfates
Celestine
SrSO₄
This specimen displays several well-formed, pale blue celestine crystals with a vitreous luster, exhibiting a tabular or prismatic habit, growing on a dark matrix.
Celestine Physical Properties
Mohs Hardness
3Crystal System
orthorhombicLuster
vitreousStreak Color
whiteCleavage
perfect on {001}, good on {210}, distinct on {010}Fracture
conchoidalSpecific Gravity
3.97Colors
pale blue, white, colorless, reddishTransparency
transparent to translucentType Locality
Wessels Mine (Wessel's Mine), Hotazel, Kalahari manganese fields, Northern Cape Province, South AfricaMineral Group
SulfatesUses
source of strontium, collector's specimens, minor gemstoneAssociated Minerals
sulfur, calcite, aragonite, gypsum, fluorite, bariteRarity
commonGeological Context
Celestine commonly forms in sedimentary rocks, especially in evaporite deposits, limestones, and dolomites, and can also occur in hydrothermal veins and as a prominent mineral within geodes.
