Iimoriite
8 in the gallery
Iimoriite is a rare yttrium silicate carbonate mineral. It forms in conditions that allow yttrium to substitute into silicate and carbonate frameworks, yielding crystals that can display a pale to colorless to slightly tinted appearance with a vitreous to adamantine lustre. When isolated crystals occur, they may exhibit well-formed prismatic habits and a delicate transparency that highlights subtle internal zoning.
- Formula
- Y2[SiO4][CO3]
- Rarity
- Ultra Rare
- Stability
- Stable
- Collector interest
- Moderate Interest
- Classification notes
- Nesosilicate-carbonate; Strunz 9.AG
Key characteristics
- Crystal system
- trigonal
- Mohs hardness
- 5
- Specific gravity
- 4.2
- Luster
- vitreous
- Transparency
- transparent, translucent
- Color
- yellow, brown
- Streak
- white
- Fracture
- uneven
- Crystal habit
- tabular, granular
About Iimoriite
Notable specimens have been reported from specialized, often ultramafic or skarn-type environments where yttrium-bearing fluids interact with silicate–carbonate assemblages. Collectors prize Iimoriite for its rarity and the challenge of locating material that truly represents its crystallographic integrity. While individual crystals can be small, their rarity and the purity of their optical properties set them apart in a curated suite of high-end minerals.