Cerite is a complex
silicate mineral group containing
cerium, formula (
Ce,
La,
Ca)
9(
Mg,
Fe+3)(
SiO4)
6(SiO
3OH)(
OH)
3. The cerium and lanthanum content varies with the Ce rich species (cerite-(Ce)) and the La rich species (cerite-(La)). Analysis of a sample from the
Mountain Pass carbonatite gave 35.05 e
2O
3 and 30.04% La
2O
3.