Thumbnails
Monazite group of crystals
Photo by Violet Anderson
© Royal Ontario Museum
Monazite-(Ce) crystals
© Doug Merson
Monazite-(Ce) crystals
© Doug Merson
(Ce,La,Nd,Th)PO
Monazite-(Ce) is rare mineral at MSH.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS:
Color is usually green to greenish-brown.
Luster is vitreous to greasy.
Diaphaneity is translucent to opaque.
Crystal System is monoclinic;
Crystal Habits include hexagonal, tabular pseudomorphs to 3mm and
tabular and wedge-shaped crystals to 2mm forming complex groups.
Cleavage {100} is distinct; {010} is less distinct; {110}, {101} and
{011} are indistinct.
Fracture is conchoidal to uneven.
Hardness is 5 – 5.5
Specific Gravity is approximately 4.9 g/cm
Streak is white.
Associated Minerals include aegirine, albite, catapleiite, chlorite
group, elpidite, epididymite, rutile and siderite.
Distinguishing Features: Crystal habit, color and luster.
Origin: Named in 1829 from the Greek monazein, to be solitary,
alluding to its rare occurrence as isolated crystals in the mineral’s
discovery material.
CLASSIFICATION:
Dana System
# 38.4.3.1
Strunz Classification
# VII/A.14-20
REFERENCES:
MinRec 21:323 (1990), Dana 8:722-724 (1997)
DISTRIBUTION AND RARITY AT MONT SAINT-HILAIRE:
MSH
¤¤¤
Monazite-(Ce) crystals
© Doug Merson
Monazite-(Ce) crystals
© Jason B. Smith