On this page you have the
phosphate rock forming minerals.
They are a relatively
large group of more than 200 minerals, which tend to be colourful, soft
and well crystallised.
Many are secondary
minerals.
They include monazite,
turquoise, xenotime, vanadinite, autunite, vivianite, apatite,
torbernite, variscite, lazulite, amblygonite, pyromorphite, and
wavellite.
Monazite
Monazite. By MuseumWales via Flickr.com
Monazite
is a group of minerals with the same crystal strucutre but variable
chemical composition such as cerium, neodymium and lanthanum monazite.
It can form prismatic or tabular crystals; or it can be granular. It
can be white, greenish, yellow, pink, reddish or brown. It forms in metamorphic
rocks,
hydrothermal veins and pegmatites.
Turquoise
Mineral
Turqoise gems by cobalt123 via Flickr.com
Turquoise
is a beautiful turquoise-blue mineral, which forms small prismatic
crystals, but often occurs in granular, nodular, massive, or
stalactitic habits. It can also be green or greyish, and if crystals
exist they are transparent. It forms in altered, aluminium rich igneous
and sedimentary rocks.
It has been mined as a gemstone since ancient times.
Xenotime
Xenotime. By MuseumWales via Flickr.com
Xenotime is
an yttrium
phosphate that can form prismatic crytals or occur in glassy habit or
rosette shaped aggregates. It can be yellowish or reddish brown,
greenish or grey. It forms in igneous
rocks and pegmatites,
but can also be found in hydrothermal veins and metamorphic rocks
such as gneisses,
and in detrital material in sediements.
Vanadinite
Vanadinite by Gary Parent via Flickr.com
Vanadinite
is a lead vanadate
chloride and quite a rare mineral. It can form prismatic, hairlike or
acicular crystals, which can be hollow. It is red, brown or yellowish
in colour. It forms a a secondary mineral in loxidised zones of lead
deposits and is often associated with limonite, wulfenite, barite and
galena. It is a major ore of wulfenite.
Autunite
Autunite. By cobalt123 via Flickr.com
Autunite is
a calcium
phosphate which contains uranium and is radioactive. It can form
tabular crystals, or occur as grains, foliated scaly aggregates or
serrated crusts. It is yellow or greenish yellow in colour and
fluorescences under ultra violet light. It forms as a secondary mineral
by the alteration of uranium bearing minerals.
Vivianite
Vivianite by Jake Slagle via Flickr.com
Vivianite is
an iron
phosphate rock forming mineral, which can form tabular or prismatic
crystals, or occur in fibrous or massive habit. It is colourless when
fresh, but can be coloured to green, blue and yellow by impurities. It
is a widespread mineral and it forms in oxidation zones of iron ore and
manganese bearing minerals.
Apatite is a
group of calcium
phosphate minerals, which have the same crystal structure but various
composition (fluor-, chlor-, and hydroxylapatite). It can form tabular
or prismatic crystals or can occur in granular, compact or massive
habits. It is most often green but can come in other colours.
Torbernite
Torbernite. By amuderick via Flickr.com
Torbernite
is a copper
phosphate rock forming mineral. It can form tabular crystals, or
lamellar or scaly, foliated, mica-like aggregates. It is green in
colour. It forms as a secondary mineral by alteration from uraninite
and other uranium bearing minerals, and is consequently radioactive. It
is a minor uranium ore.
Variscite
Variscite by Peter Eimon via Flickr.com
Variscite
is an aluminium phosphate rock forming mineral. It forms crystals
(tabular or prismatic)
rarely, and is most often granular, nodular, compact or fine grained
massive. It is usually green, but can also be bluish, yellow, purple,
red, grey, brown, white or colourless. It forms in marbles
and aluminium rich
igneous rocks, and is often found with wavellite, apatite and iron
oxides.
Lazulite
By Ian Geoffrey Stimpson via Flickr.com
Lazulite is
a colourful azure
blue mineral that forms quite large, pyramidal or tabular crystals or
can be compact, granular or massive. It forms in aluminium rich
metamorphic rocks, hydrothermal veins and pegmatites; and is often
found in association to quartz, corundum, sillimanite, muscovite,
kyanite, garnet, rutile and andalusite.
Amblygonite
By internetarchivebookimages via Flickr.com
Amblygonite
is a lithium
phosphate rock forming mineral that can form short prismatic crystals
that can be twinned; or occur as massive. It is often white but can
also be bluish, greenish, yellowish, pinkish or colourless. It forms in
coarse grained igneous rocks such as granites and pegmatites. It is
used as a source of phosphorus and lithium.
Pyromorphite
Pyromorphite by Ed Uthman via Flickr.com
Pyromorphite
is a lead
phosphate chloride, which can form short prismatic crystals, or can be
fibrous, botroydal, earthy, granular, reniform or globular. It is often
green but can also be yellow, brown, grey, or orange in colour. In
forms in the oxidised parts of lead veins, and can be found in
association with limonite, galena, vanadinite, smithsonite and
cerussite. It is a minor ore of lead.
Wavellite
Wavellite by Kathy__via Flickr.com
Wavellite is
an aluminium phosphate rock forming mineral that can form prismatic
crystals;
radiating,
acicular aggregates, stalactitic deposits, or crusts. It is white,
yellowish white, greenish white or yellowish brown in colour. It forms
as a secondary mineral in llow grade metamorphic rocks that are rich in
aluminium, limonite and phosphate.
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