Geological process
Redox processes
Transfer of electrons between species. Oxidation state governs an element’s charge, its ionic radius, its solubility and which minerals will accept it — so redox controls where elements go.
How this record is known
- 1
- Interpretation
- Reached by reasoning from evidence, or produced by a named model.
1 of 1 claims on this page cite at least one registered source. Counts describe how each statement is known, not how likely it is to be true.
What Lithoen records
Each claim states how it is known and cites its evidence.
InferredOxidation state governs charge, radius, solubility and mineral host.
Changing an element’s oxidation state changes its charge and its ionic radius, and therefore which crystal sites will accept it and how soluble it is. Cerium as Ce4+ and europium as Eu2+ behave differently from their trivalent neighbours for exactly this reason.
- method: Combines the observed redox exceptions among the rare earths with the lattice-strain result that charge and radius govern site occupancy.
Evidence support: Supported by the cited evidence · 2 sources, multiple sources, independence unknown
Evidence: Gosen 2017 · Primary authority; Blundy 1994 · Peer-reviewed
Record last updated 2026-09-06. Corrections follow the published corrections policy; superseded claims are retained, never silently edited.