Clinofergusonite-(Ce)

CeNbO4
IMA status
  • Approved
IMA symbol
Fgs-Ce-β
Also known as
  • Beta-fergusonite-(Ce)
  • Clinofergusoniet-(Ce)
  • Fergusonite-(Ce)-β
  • +1 more

Where it forms, where it's found

Type locality
Bayan Obo deposit
  1. Bayan Obo mining district
  2. Baotou City
  3. Inner Mongolia
  4. China

41.7958°, 109.9694°

4recorded occurrences
Source · OpenStreetMap

Physical

Hardness
123456789105.5 – 6.5/ 10 MOHS
  1. 1Talc
  2. 2Gypsum
  3. 3Calcite
  4. 4Fluorite
  5. 5Apatite
  6. 6Orthoclase
  7. 7Quartz
  8. 8Topaz
  9. 9Corundum
  10. 10Diamond
Colour
red · reddish brown
Density
5.34 g/cm³

Crystallography

Crystal system
Monoclinic
Space group
C2/m
Cell parameters
a = 5.19 Å · b = 11.34 Å · c = 5.48 Å
Cell angles
β = 84.95 °
Ratio a:b:c
1 : 2.185 : 1.056
Z
4
Crystal structure

Chemical composition

Constituent elements
Mass composition breakdown
ElementAtoms At. mass g/mol Mass g/molMass share
58CeCeriumCerium1140.116140.116
47.17%
41NbNiobiumNiobium192.90692.906
31.28%
8OOxygenOxygen415.99963.996
21.55%
Total297.018100.00%

Mass share = atoms × atomic mass ÷ molar mass × 100

From IMA formula

Synonyms

  • Beta-fergusonite-(Ce)
  • Clinofergusoniet-(Ce)
  • Fergusonite-(Ce)-β
  • Fergusonite-beta-(Ce)

In other languages

German
Fergusonit-(Ce)-β · Klinofergusonit-(Ce)
Italian
fergusonite-(Ce)-β · Β-fergusonite- · Β-fergusonite-(Ce)
Chinese
Β-褐铈铌矿

Classification

Strunz
10th ed.

4.DG.10

  • 4OxidesClass
  • 4.DMetal: Oxygen = 1:2 and similarDivision
  • 4.DGWith large (+- medium-sized) cations; chains of edge-sharing octahedraGroup
  • 4.DG.10Clinofergusonite-(Ce)Species
Dana
8th ed.

08.01.02.02

  • 08Multiple Oxides Containing Niobium, Tantalum or TitaniumClass
  • 08.01ABO4Type
  • 08.01.02Fergusonite-beta Grup (Monoclinic)Group
  • 08.01.02.02Clinofergusonite-(Ce)Species
CIM
—

18.2.4

  • 18Niobates and TantalatesClass
  • 18.2Niobates and tantalates containing rare earths but not UGroup
  • 18.2.4Clinofergusonite-(Ce)Species

Group, growth & confusion

Commonly confused with
1 mineral

Literature, links & citation

Citations
  1. 1973Kuo Chi-Ti, Wang I-Hsien, Wang Hsien-Chueh, Wang Chung-Kang, and Hou Hung-Chuan (1973): Studies on minerals of the fergusonite group. Geochimica, 2, 86-92 (in Chinese).
  2. 1975Fleischer, Michael; Chao, G. Y.; Kato, Ikiro (1975) New Mineral Names. American Mineralogist, 60 (5-6). 485-489
  3. 1976Chaska, A.I., Marchenko, E.Ya. (1976) A new rare-earth niobate from carbonatities. Geol. Geofiz., 4, 141-143. (in Russian, un-named)
  4. 1977Fleischer, Michael, Jambor, John (1977) New mineral names. American Mineralogist, 62 (3-4).
  5. 2005(2005) Clinofergusonite-(Ce). Handbook of Mineralogy. Mineralogical Society of America
Cite this entry
@misc{mineral2026,
  author    = {Mineral Index editorial board},
  title     = {Clinofergusonite-(Ce) — Mineral Index},
  year      = {2026},
  url       = {https://mineralindex.org/minerals/clinofergusonite-ce-1481},
  note      = {Accessed 2026-05-11}
}