Davidite Explained

Davidite-(La)
Category:	Oxide minerals
Imasymbol:	Dvd-La^[1]
Strunz:	4.CC.40
System:	Trigonal
Class:	Rhombohedral H-M symbol:
Symmetry:	R
Unit Cell:	a = 10.376, c = 20.91 [Å]; Z = 3
Color:	Black
Fracture:	Subconchoidal to uneven
Tenacity:	Brittle
Mohs:	6 ^[2]
Luster:	Vitreous
Diaphaneity:	Opaque, translucent in very thin fragments
Gravity:	4.33 to 4.48
Alteration:	Metamict
Other:	Radioactive
References:	^[3] ^[4] ^[5] ^[6]

Davidite is a rare earth oxide mineral with chemical end members Lanthanum (La) and Cerium (Ce). It exists in two forms:

• Davidite-(La) discovered at Radium Hill mine, South Australia in 1906 and named by Douglas Mawson for Australian geologist Tannatt William Edgeworth David (1858-1934).^[7]
• Davidite-(Ce) first described in 1960 from Vemork, Iveland, Norway.

Notes and References

1. Warr. L.N.. 2021. IMA–CNMNC approved mineral symbols. Mineralogical Magazine. 85. 3. 291–320. 10.1180/mgm.2021.43. 2021MinM...85..291W. 235729616. free.
2. Web site: Davidite-(La) Mineral Data.
3. http://rruff.geo.arizona.edu/doclib/hom/daviditela.pdf Davidite-La in Handbook of Mineralogy
4. http://www.mindat.org/min-1234.html Davidite-La on Mindat
5. http://webmineral.com/data/Davidite-(La).shtml Davidite-(La) on Webmineral
6. http://webmineral.com/data/Davidite-(Ce).shtml Davidite-(Ce) on Webmineral
7. Branagan, D.F. (2005): T.W. Edgeworth David: A Life: Geologist, Adventurer and "Knight in the Old Brown Hat", National Library of Australia, Canberra, p. 471.