CELESTINE

Celestine, a strontium sulfate mineral of the barite group, was reported from Franklin by Gordon (1922) and from Sterling Hill by Bauer and Berman (1930). It occurs as light blue, light pink, or colorless crystals, commonly bladed or tabular and up to 7 mm in length.
Most megascopic material is light blue to some degree, albeit faint. Cleavages are good and the luster is vitreous. There is a moderate pale-blue fluorescence in shortwave ultraviolet according to Bostwick (1992). Bauer and Berman reported their Sterling Hill material to be pure in chemical composition.
The original Franklin celestine occurs as 0.5 mm stout crystals in a thick coating with a saccharoidal texture and a high luster; it encrusted vugs in rhodochrosite associated with calcite and franklinite. Additional specimens, up to 10 cm, were subsequently found on the 900 level, 35 feet from the footwall, and are almost entirely celestine, with vein-like and vuggy textures, and composed of 4-7 mm crystals.
Sterling Hill celestine occurs as 4-7 mm, tabular to bladed, light blue crystals in vugs and seams. It has been found on the 1200, 1300, and 1750 levels, associated with a number of minerals. Calcite is commonly present, and the assemblages appear to have been carbonate veins with much recrystallization. An occurrence in a veinlet assemblage associated with wollastonite-bearing rocks was noted by Jenkins (1994). Celestine is in some respects similar to barite, especially in mode of occurrence, but barite is much more abundant at both orebodies. (Dunn, 1995)

Location Found:

Franklin and Ogdensburg

Year Discovered:

1791

Formula:

SrSO₄

Essential Elements:

Oxygen, Strontium, Sulfur

All Elements in Formula:

Oxygen, Strontium, Sulfur

IMA Status:

Approved

Fluorescent Mineral Properties

Shortwave UV light:

Cream, moderate brightness

Mid wave UV light:

Cream, moderate brightness

Longwave UV light:

Cream, moderate brightness

Additional Information:

Fluoresces best shortwave, phosphoresces cream

To find out more about this mineral at minDat's website, follow this link Celestine

References:

Dunn, Pete J. (1995). Franklin and Sterling Hill New Jersey: the world's most magnificent mineral deposits. Franklin, NJ.: The Franklin-Ogdensburg Mineralogical Society. p.630

Frondel, Clifford (1972). The minerals of Franklin and Sterling Hill, a checklist. NY.: John Willey & Sons. p.48

The Picking Table References

	PT Issue and Page	Description / Comment
View Issue	V. 57, No. 2 - Fall 2016, pg. 14	Fluorescent Minerals of Franklin and Sterling Hill, N.J., Part 1, Richard C. Bostwick - Celestine
View Issue	V. 35, No. 1 - Spring 1994, pg. 21	Geology and Mineralogy of a Veinlet Assemblage Associated With Wollastonite-Bearing Rocks, Sterling Mine, Ogdensburg, New Jersey, Robert E. Jenkins II - Celestite
View Issue	V. 33, No. 2 - Fall 1992, pg. 10	The Check List of Franklin-Sterling Hill Fluorescent Minerals - Celestine (Fluorescent Info)
View Issue	V. 18, No. 1 - March 1977, pg. 7	Recent Mineral Occurances at Sterling Hill by Stephen Sanford - Celestite
View Issue	V. 18, No. 1 - March 1977, pg. 22	The Fluorescent Minerals of Franklin and Sterling Hill, NJ by Richard C. Bostwick - Celestite
View Issue	V. 7, No. 2 - August 1966, pg. 7	The Minerals of Sterling Hill 1962-65 by Frank Z. Edwards - Celestite

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