Monazite

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Can you help make this a better article? What good localities have we missed? Can you supply pictures of better specimens than those we show here? Can you give us more and better information about the specimens from these localities? Can you supply better geological or historical information on these localities? After each set of pictures there should be some descriptive text. If none appears it means that we need someone to tell us about the specimens from that locality and something about the geology of the occurrence.

The name monazite is used here for all members of the monazite group. "Monazite", without a elemental suffix, was once the accepted name for all material in this group, regardless of the REE-bearing components' relative abundance. The suffixes were added when the naming convention for all REE-bearing members was devised and implemented.
Most "monazite" is monazite-(Ce), the La-, Nd-, Sm- and Gd-dominant members are all very rare.
Monazite often contains small amounts of U and/or Th, making it radioactive.

Australia
Torrington, Clive Co., New South Wales, Australia
[www.mindat.org]

Kings Bluff mine, Olary, Olary Province, South Australia, Australia




Austria
Lower serpentinite quarry, Zwettler Leiten, Felling, Gföhl, Waldviertel, Lower Austria, Austria


Königsalm, Senftenberg, Waldviertel, Lower Austria, Austria
size
Hopffeldboden, Hopffeld area, Obersulzbach valley, Hohe Tauern, Salzburg, Austria
size
Lohning quarry (Lohninger quarry), Hüttwinkl valley, Rauris valley, Hohe Tauern, Salzburg, Austria
size
Diabase quarry, Biberg (Bieberg), Saalfelden, Salzburg, Austria
size
Oberschrammach glacier, Schrammacher, Zamser Grund (Zams valley), Ziller valley, North Tyrol, Tyrol, Austria
size

Bolivia
Llallagua, Rafael Bustillo Province (Bustillos Province), Potosí Department, Bolivia
size

Siglo Veinte Mine (Siglo XX Mine; Llallagua Mine; Catavi), Llallagua, Rafael Bustillo Province (Bustillos Province), Potosí Department, Bolivia
http://www.mindat.org/photo-169369.html
75 x 55 x 35 mm. crystals to 9 mm. and twinned. Crystals exhibit color change.
http://www.mindat.org/photo-303967.html
http://www.mindat.org/photo-303969.html


Brazil
João Torres Mine, Muqui, Espírito Santo, Brazil
http://www.mindat.org/photo-169954.html
4.7 x 4.4 x 1.4 cm.

Buenópolis, Minas Gerais, Brazil
http://www.mindat.org/photo-141881.html
2.2x1.4x 1.3 cm

São João da Chapada, Diamantina, Jequitinhonha valley, Minas Gerais, Brazil
http://www.mindat.org/photo-453378.html



Canada
Ojaipee Mine, Doley Lake, Conger Township, Parry Sound District, Ontario, Canada


Poudrette quarry (Demix quarry; Uni-Mix quarry; Desourdy quarry; Carrière Mont Saint-Hilaire), Mont Saint-Hilaire, Rouville RCM, Montérégie, Québec, Canada


Czech Republic
U obrázku quarry, Písek, South Bohemia Region, Bohemia (Böhmen; Boehmen), Czech Republic

Dolní Bory, Žďár nad Sázavou, Vysočina Region, Moravia (Mähren; Maehren), Czech Republic


France
Trimouns Talc Mine, Luzenac, Ariège, Midi-Pyrénées, France

Plan-du-Lac, St Christophe-en-Oisans, Bourg d'Oisans, Isère, Rhône-Alpes, France


Trouée des Fées, Les Deux Alpes, Isère, Rhône-Alpes, France

La Lauzière massif, Savoie, Rhône-Alpes, France

L'Homme de Beurre, La Lauzière massif, Savoie, Rhône-Alpes, France

La Madeleine pass, La Lauzière massif, Savoie, Rhône-Alpes, France

La Léchère (Notre Dame de Briançon), Tarentaise valley, Savoie, Rhône-Alpes, France

Germany
Laach lake volcanic complex, Eifel, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany

Agpat (Appat), Tunugdliarfik Firth (Eriksfjord), Ilimaussaq complex, Narsaq, Kitaa (West Greenland) Province, Greenland

Brenva Glacier, Veny Valley, Monte Bianco Massif (Mont Blanc Massif), Courmayeur, Aosta Valley, Italy
Miage Glacier, Veny Valley, Monte Bianco Massif (Mont Blanc Massif), Courmayeur, Aosta Valley, Italy


Ossola Valley, Verbano-Cusio-Ossola Province, Piedmont, Italy
[www.mindat.org]
Beura Quarries, Beura-Cardezza, Ossola Valley, Verbano-Cusio-Ossola Province, Piedmont, Italy


Vizze pass (Pfitsch pass), San Giacomo, Vizze Valley (Pfitsch Valley), Bolzano Province (South Tyrol), Trentino-Alto Adige, Italy
Croda Alta (Grawandkofel), Vizze pass (Pfitsch pass), San Giacomo, Vizze Valley (Pfitsch Valley), Bolzano Province (South Tyrol), Trentino-Alto Adige, Italy

Madagascar
Madiaomby pegmatite, Anjozorobe District, Ankazobe Pegmatite Field, Analamanga Region, Antananarivo Province, Madagascar
Ambatofotsikely pegmatite, Fidirana Commune, Betafo District, Vakinankaratra Region, Antananarivo Province, Madagascar
[www.mindat.org]
[www.mindat.org]

Ankazobe Pegmatite Field, Analamanga Region, Antananarivo Province, Madagascar
[www.mindat.org] Monazite, complete crystal, 22 x 17 x 8 mm., Ankazobe, Madagascar. Somewhat radioactive (~75 microrems/hr.). A Dave Shannon specimen, purchased in 2000, the label said collected in 1925. K. Nash

Narestø Feldspar Quarry, Flosta Island, Arendal, Aust-Agder, Norway
[www.mindat.org]

Landsverk 1 Feldspar Quarry (Jokeli), Landsverk, Evje og Hornnes, Aust-Agder, Norway
[www.mindat.org]

Iveland, Aust-Agder, Norway

Frøyså, Iveland, Aust-Agder, Norway

Rostadheia, Mølland, Iveland, Aust-Agder, Norway

Moss, Østfold, Norway

Pakistan
Zagi Mountain (Zegi Mountain; "Shinwaro"), Hameed Abad Kafoor Dheri, Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (North-West Frontier Province), Pakistan





Ytterlida pegmatite, Överlida, Svenljunga, Västergötland, Sweden

Rutströmsselet, Vassijaure, Lappland, Sweden
[www.mindat.org]


Råneå, Norrbotten, Sweden

Normally the crystals are found in schorl from the Sörhällan quarry.



Cavradi gorge, Curnera Valley, Tujetsch (Tavetsch), Vorderrhein Valley, Grischun (Grisons; Graubünden), Switzerland

Croft Gothal Mine, St Hilary, Mount's Bay District, Cornwall, England, UK

Croft Gothal Mine, St Hilary, Mount's Bay District, Cornwall, England, UK

USA
Cross Hill, Juniper Flats, Neuvo, Riverside Co., California, USA
http://www.mindat.org/photo-433007.html

McGuire pegmatite (Lone Lode; Lonesome pegmatite), Park Co., Colorado, USA
Slocum Prospect, East Hampton, Middlesex Co., Connecticut, USA
http://www.mindat.org/photo-1191.html

Andrews Quarry (old Hale Quarry; Grandfather Andrews Quarry), Portland, Middlesex Co., Connecticut, USA



Swamp #1 quarry, Topsham, Sagadahoc Co., Maine, USA
[www.mindat.org]


Bald Mountain, Ossipee, Carroll Co., New Hampshire, USA
[www.mindat.org]

Yates Brooks Farm, Lattimore, Cleveland Co., North Carolina, USA

Milford, San Francisco District (Frisco District), San Francisco Mts, Beaver Co., Utah, USA
[www.mindat.org]


Katydid Mine (Rogers Publishing Company Mine), Wilkerson Pass Area, Park Co., Colorado, USA

Regards,
Ralph



Edited 5 time(s). Last edit at 11/18/2012 01:07PM by Ralph Bottrill.

This should be interesting. Good hunting.

Rock Currier
Crystals not pistols.

First of all we have four monazites for the moment: -(La), -(Ce), -(Nd) and -(Sm). And you should to state, that their abundance in rocks is Ce>>>La>>Nd>Sm. In other words, from 1000 monazites, 990 will turned out Ce-dominant, 9 La-dominant, 0.9 Nd-dominant and may be only 0.1 Sm-dominant.

Ralph,
You should ask Frank Roberts for pics of his Burnet County Monazites.
-Dean Allum

Well, the Brown Derby in Gunnison, CO has monazite (Sm)

Hi Ralph,

A specimen from the Zagi Mts, Pakistan that you may be able to use.

[www.mindat.org]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/17/2012 05:01AM by Craig Mercer.

Added, thanks Craig

Regards,
Ralph