
Specimen of the weekMineral · Phosphates
Monazite
Monazite is a phosphate mineral that is an important source of rare earth elements (REEs) such as cerium, lanthanum, and neodymium, as well as thorium, a radioactive element used in nuclear energy.
- Hardness
- 5 to 5.5 on the Mohs scale
- Chemical Composition
- (Ce, La, Nd, Th)PO₄ (Phosphate of rare earth elements like cerium, lanthanum, neodymium…
- Crystal System
- Monoclinic

















