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Monazite
Monazite
Monazite

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Monazite

Specimen Origin: Mitchell County (North Carolina, USA)

Mitchell County, in the Spruce Pine District of western North Carolina, is world-famous for its complex granitic pegmatites that have long been mined for feldspar, mica, and quartz. These pegmatites also host a variety of rare-earth minerals, including monazite, which often occurs in association with allanite, xenotime, and zircon. Monazite from this locality typically forms reddish-brown to yellow-brown crystals or grains within the pegmatite matrix and has been an important source of rare-earth elements in the region.

Monazite

Monazite is a rare-earth phosphate mineral with the general formula (Ce,La,Nd,Th)PO₄, commonly dominated by cerium. It appears as brownish-yellow to reddish crystals, usually prismatic or tabular, with a resinous to vitreous luster. Monazite is moderately hard (Mohs 5–5.5), often contains significant thorium, and is therefore weakly radioactive. It occurs in granitic pegmatites and metamorphic rocks, and is a primary ore mineral for rare-earth elements such as cerium, lanthanum, and neodymium.