Monazite
Cerium
Lanthanum Thorium Neodymium Yttrium Phosphate
(Ce, La, Th, Nd, Y)PO4
Monazite
is named after the Greek word monazit, which means 'to be alone',
because when it was first discovered it was thought to be quite rare.
Monazite contains the following elements:
- Cerium
- Lanthanum
- Neodymium
It
is known as the "rare earth" elements and it is a rich
source of the radioactive element thorium. Rare earth elements are
used in high performance magnets, as pigment in ceramics, in robot
motors, x-ray screens, fibre optics, energy efficient lanthanum lamps
and colour television tubes. Thorium is radioactive and is used in
incandescent gas mantles and in fuel for nuclear reactors.
Monazite is actually three different minerals technically, but
because of a lack of great differences between them they are referred
to as one mineral, monazite. The three monazites have differences in
the percentages of their chemical makeup and these differences are
reflected in their respective names.
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