Its tetragonal crystals are a translucent blue, white, colorless or pink with a vitreous to dull lustre.

It was discovered by G.Y Chao and named for the school he attended, Carleton University of Ottawa.

[3][4] It occurs in hornfels and siliceous marble xenoliths within and adjacent to a nepheline syenite intrusion.

It occurs in association with quartz, narsarsukite, calcite, fluorite, ancylite, molybdenite, leucosphenite, lorenzenite, galena, albite, pectolite, apophyllite, leifite, microcline and arfvedsonite.

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