[mon-uh-zahyt] 
| a reddish- or yellowish-brown mineral, a phosphate of cerium and lanthanum, (Ce,La)PO4: the principal ore of thorium. |
| mon·a·zite (mŏn'ə-zīt') n. A reddish-brown phosphate mineral containing rare-earth metals, (Ce, La, Y, Th)PO4, important as a source of cerium and thorium. [Greek monazein, to live alone; see monastery + -ite1.] |
| monazite (mŏn'ə-zīt') Pronunciation Key
A yellow or reddish-brown monoclinic mineral that is a principal ore of several lanthanide (rare-earth) elements. It occurs as tabular crystals in pegmatites, granites, and metamorphic rocks, as well as in sand. Chemical formula: (Ce, La, Nd, Th)PO4. |
monazite
phosphate mineral, cerium and lanthanum phosphate [(Ce, La)PO4], that is the major commercial source of cerium. Occurring as small, brown, resinous, rather heavy crystals in granitic and gneissic rocks and their detritus (called monazite sands), monazite frequently contains 10-12 percent thorium dioxide (ThO2) and thus represents a major commercial source of thorium as well. Monazite is mined in Brazil, Norway, Madagascar, Sri Lanka, India, and North Carolina. For detailed physical properties, see phosphate mineral (table)
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əˌzaɪt