Knowra Phosphate mineral Phosphate mineral A mineral whose crystal structure contains phosphate groups, in which phosphorus is typically bonded to four oxygen atoms. Apatite is the most widespread phosphate mineral group.
Phosphate : An anion consisting of one phosphorus atom bonded to four oxygen atoms, with a net charge of −3. This anion is the structural unit that gives phosphate minerals their name.
Apatite : A group of phosphate minerals with the general formula Ca₅(PO₄)₃(F,Cl,OH). Apatite is the most common phosphate mineral group and a major phosphorus reservoir in rocks.
Phosphate rock : A sedimentary rock enriched in phosphate minerals, chiefly apatite, and mined as a phosphorus source. Mined phosphate rock is the principal raw material for most phosphate fertilizers.
Apatite supergroup : A mineral supergroup whose structures contain columns of anions surrounded by calcium or other cations and phosphate groups. Its flexible structure accommodates substitutions that account for much apatite-group diversity.
Phosphorite : A sedimentary rock rich in phosphate minerals, typically formed from marine sediments. Phosphorite deposits are major accumulations of phosphate minerals, especially carbonate fluorapatite.
Mineral : A naturally occurring solid with an ordered atomic structure and a characteristic chemical composition. Phosphate minerals meet the broader criteria that distinguish minerals from rocks and other materials.
Monazite : A group of rare-earth phosphate minerals, commonly containing cerium, lanthanum, and neodymium. Monazite concentrates rare-earth elements in a phosphate structure.
Phosphorus cycle : The movement of phosphorus among rocks, soils, water, and organisms, without a major gaseous phase. Weathering of phosphate minerals releases phosphorus into ecosystems and watersheds.
Solid solution : A single crystalline phase in which elements substitute for one another across a range of compositions. Ion substitution creates continuous compositional variation in several phosphate mineral groups.
Pegmatite : An exceptionally coarse-grained igneous rock commonly crystallized from water-rich magma. Pegmatites can host phosphate minerals including monazite and rare phosphate species.
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