Monazite is a phosphate mineral primarily valued as an ore for rare earth elements like cerium and lanthanum. It is commonly found as small, reddish-brown, wedge-shaped crystals in pegmatites or as rounded grains in heavy mineral sand deposits.
Is this monazite?
5-step field checkRun through these checks against the specimen in your hand. The more boxes tick, the more confident the ID.
- 1Test the hardnessTry to scratch monazite with a known reference. Monazite sits at Mohs 5-5.5, softer than the next harder reference, harder than the previous one.
- 2Check the streakDrag the specimen across an unglazed porcelain plate. Monazite leaves a white streak.
- 3Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Monazite typically shows a resinous luster.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: reddish-brown, yellowish-brown, brown, tan, greenish.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: monoclinic. Typical habit: tabular, prismatic, or granular.
Often confused with
Monazite vs. its common look-alikes, and how to tell them apart in the field.
How to tell apart: Zircon is the harder of the two (Mohs 7.5 vs. 5-5.5); luster reads resinous on Monazite and adamantine on Zircon.
How to tell apart: Luster reads resinous on Monazite and adamantine on Titanite.
How to tell apart: Luster reads resinous on Monazite and vitreous on Xenotime.
Often found alongside monazite
Minerals reported to co-occur with monazite. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- (Ce,La,Nd,Th)PO₄
- Mohs hardness
- 5-5.5
- Density
- 4.6-5.7 g/cm³
- Streak
- White
- Luster
- Resinous
- Transparency
- Translucent
- Crystal system
- Monoclinic
- Crystal habit
- Tabular, Prismatic, Or Granular
- Cleavage
- Distinct
- Rarity
- Common
- Uses
- Collector, Ore of Rare Earth Elements
- Host rock
- Granite, Pegmatites, And Heavy Mineral Sands
- Typical price
- $10-150 per specimen
Where rockhounds find monazite
10 mapped spotsClassic worldwide localities
- Brazil
- Madagascar
- USA
- Australia
- India
Field-hunting tip
Look in granite, pegmatites, and heavy mineral sands country, the host setting where monazite typically forms. If you start seeing quartz, zircon, ilmenite in float, you are in the right ground. Field specimens usually show a tabular, prismatic, or granular habit, so train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop. In the U.S., the densest reported localities are in Utah, North Carolina, Connecticut. Start trip planning there.
Common questions
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Find monazite on the map
RockHoundR shows mapped rockhounding spots, access rules, and lets you log every find.
