Monazite
![](/Images/godic/202502/02/Monazit_-_Madagaskar1811.jpg")
![Postcard view of a monazite mine in Shelby, North Carolina, showing cart tracks and a bridge](/Images/godic/202502/02/Monazitemineshelbync1812.jpg")
![Monazite powder](/Images/godic/202502/02/MonaziteUSGOV1812.jpg")
![](/Images/godic/202502/02/Monazite_acid_cracking_process.svg1812.png")
Monazite is a reddish-brown phosphate mineral containing rare earth metals. It occurs usually in small isolated crystals. It has a hardness of 5.0 to 5.5 on the Mohs scale of mineral hardness and is relatively dense, about 4.6 to 5.7 g/cm. There are at least four different kinds of monazite, depending on relative elemental composition of the mineral: