Allanite-(Ce) — Atlin-Ruffner Prospect, Wilberforce, Ontario, Canada

Allanite-(Ce) from the Atlin-Ruffner Prospect, Wilberforce, Haliburton County, Ontario, Canada. Grenville Province.

A sooty black mass of allanite-(Ce) matrix from the Atlin-Ruffner prospect near Wilberforce, deep in the heart of Ontario's Grenville Province. Allanite is a complex epidote-group sorosilicate enriched in rare earth elements — predominantly cerium in this variety — along with calcium, iron, and aluminium. The mineral's characteristic resinous to submetallic black lustre and blocky to irregular habit are well-represented here, with the dense, heavy character expected from a high-REE, moderately radioactive mineral carrying both uranium and thorium as trace substitutes.

Wilberforce sits within the Bancroft domain of the Grenville Orogen, a terrain renowned among mineral collectors worldwide for its extraordinary diversity of rare phosphates, silicates, carbonatites, and radioactive accessory minerals. The Atlin-Ruffner occurrence is a pegmatitic-metamorphic setting typical of the region, where high-grade Proterozoic metamorphism and fluid activity concentrated rare earth elements and created the conditions for allanite crystallization.

Allanite is often metamict — the crystal structure progressively destroyed over geological time by internal alpha-particle bombardment from its radioactive thorium and uranium content. Metamict specimens emit low levels of ionizing radiation and should be stored in accordance with your local regulations. 

Specimen Details:

Approx. specimen size: 80mm x 75mm x 30mm

Approx. specimen weight: 209.79 grams

Approx. specimen activity on an SE International Ranger EXP: 900 CPM

Radioactive Mineral Shipping Policy

All naturally radioactive mineral specimens are available for shipping within Canada only. Due to Transport Canada dangerous goods regulations and Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission requirements, we cannot ship radioactive materials internationally. All specimens are packaged in accordance with excepted quantity guidelines and clearly labeled. Purchasers are responsible for ensuring they are legally permitted to possess radioactive mineral specimens under applicable provincial and federal regulations. If you have questions about a specific specimen's activity level or shipping eligibility, please contact us before purchasing.