The Phosphates Class

Including the Phosphates, the Uranyl Phosphates, the Arsenates, the Antimonates and the Vanadates.



The Phosphate Class is made up of minerals with a basic chemical unit of tetrahedral (AO4) groups with a negative three (-3) charge. The A can be either Phosphorus, Arsenic, Vanadium or Antimony. The basic chemical unit can be combined with metal ions on a one to one ratio or usually in more complex combinations with other ions such as hydroxide groups (OH), uranyl groups (UO2), a halogen or even water molecules.

The typical phosphate is vitreous to dull, often strongly colored, above average in density, average in hardness (4-7), and low in index of refraction unless ions such as lead are present. All other properties are variable. Many interesting and beautiful mineral specimens come from this class and although a large number of minerals are known to belong to this class, only some of the members of the Apatite Group are considered common.


Subclass: Phosphates

  • Amblygonite (Lithium Sodium Aluminum Phosphate Fluoride Hydroxide)
  • Andrewsite (Copper Iron Phosphate Hydroxide)
  • Anapaite (Hydrated Calcium Iron Phosphate)
  • The Apatite Group:
  • Arrojadite (Sodium Calcium Iron Manganese Phosphate)
  • Augelite (Aluminum Phosphate Hydroxide)
  • Barbosalite (Iron Phosphate Hydroxide)
  • Beraunite (Hydrated Iron Phosphate Hydroxide)
  • Berlinite (Aluminum Phosphate)
  • Beryllonite (Sodium Beryllium Phosphate)
  • The Beudantite Group
  • Beusite (Manganese Iron Calcium Magnesium Phosphate)
  • Bolivarite (Hydrated Aluminum Phosphate Hydroxide)
  • Brazilianite (Sodium Aluminum Phosphate Hydroxide)
  • Brushite (Hydrated Calcium Phosphate Hydroxide)
  • Cacoxenite (Hydrated Iron Aluminum Phosphate Oxide Hydroxide)
  • Cassidyite (Hydrated Calcium Nickel Magnesium Phosphate)
  • Chalcosiderite (Hydrated Copper Iron Phosphate Hydroxide)
  • Childrenite (Hydrated Iron Manganese Aluminum Phosphate Hydroxide)
  • Churchite-(Y) (Hydrated Yttrium Erbium Phosphate)
  • Collinsite (Hydrated Calcium Magnesium Iron Phosphate)
  • Cornetite (Copper Phosphate Hydroxide)
  • Crandallite (Hydrated Calcium Aluminum Phosphate Hydroxide)
  • Cyrilovite (Hydrated Sodium Iron Phosphate Hydroxide)
  • Diadochite (Hydrated Iron Sulfate Phosphate Hydroxide)
  • Dickinsonite (Hydrated Manganese Iron Calcium Magnesium Phosphate Hydroxide)
  • Dufrenite (Hydrated Iron Phosphate Hydroxide)
  • Embreyite (Hydrated Lead Chromate Phosphate)
  • Englishite (Hydrated Potassium Calcium Aluminum Phosphate Hydroxide)
  • Eosphorite (Hydrated Manganese Aluminum Phosphate Hydroxide)
  • Evansite (Hydrated Aluminum Phosphate Hydroxide)
  • Fairfieldite (Hydrated Calcium Manganese Iron Phosphate)
  • Faheyite (Hydrated Manganese Magnesium Sodium Beryllium Iron Phosphate)
  • Faustite (Hydrated Zinc Copper Aluminum Phosphate Hydroxide)
  • Fillowite (Hydrated Sodium Manganese Iron Calcium Phosphate Hydroxide)
  • Florencite (Cerium Aluminum Phosphate Hydroxide)
  • Frondelite (Manganese Iron Phosphate Hydroxide)
  • Gorceixite (Hydrated Barium Aluminum Phosphate Hydroxide)
  • Gordonite (Hydrated Magnesium Aluminum Phosphate Hydroxide)
  • Gormanite (Hydrated Iron Aluminum Phosphate Hydroxide)
  • Goyazite (Strontium Aluminum Phosphate Hydroxide)
  • Graftonite (Iron Manganese Calcium Phosphate)
  • Griphite (Sodium Aluminum Calcium Iron Manganese Phosphate Hydroxide)
  • Hagendorfite (Sodium Calcium Iron Manganese Phosphate)
  • Hentschelite (Copper Iron Phosphate Hydroxide)
  • Herderite (Calcium Beryllium Phosphate Fluoride Hydroxide)
  • Heterosite (Iron Manganese Phosphate)
  • Hopeite (Hydrated Zinc Phosphate)
  • Holtedahlite (Magnesium Phosphate Carbonate Hydroxide Oxide)
  • Hureaulite (Hydrated Manganese Phosphate Hydroxide)
  • Hurlbutite (Calcium Beryllium Phosphate)
  • Jahnsite (Hydrated Calcium Manganese Magnesium Iron Phosphate Hydroxide)
  • Kidwellite (Hydrated Sodium Iron Phosphate Hydroxide)
  • Kulanite (Barium Iron Manganese Magnesium Aluminum Phosphate Hydroxide)
  • Landesite (Hydrated Manganese Iron Phosphate Hydroxide)
  • Laubmannite (Iron Phosphate Hydroxide)
  • Laueite (Hydrated Manganese Iron Phosphate Hydroxide)
  • Lazulite (Magnesium Iron Aluminum Phosphate Hydroxide)
  • Leucophosphite (Hydrated Potassium Iron Phosphate Hydroxide)
  • Libethenite (Copper Phosphate Hydroxide)
  • Lipscombite (Iron Manganese Phosphate Hydroxide)
  • Lithiophilite (Lithium Manganese Iron Phosphate)
  • ludlamite (Hydrated Magnesium Iron Manganese Phosphate)
  • Messelite (Hydrated Calcium Iron Manganese Phosphate)
  • Meta-variscite (Hydrated Aluminum Phosphate)
  • Meta-vauxite (Hydrated Iron Aluminum Phosphate Hydroxide)
  • Mitridatite (Hydrated Calcium Iron Phosphate Hydroxide)
  • Monazite (rare earth Phosphate)
  • Monetite (Calcium Hydro-Phosphate)
  • Montbrasite (Lithium Sodium Aluminum Phosphate Hydroxide Fluoride)
  • Montgomeryite (Hydrated Calcium Aluminum Phosphate Hydroxide)
  • Moraesite (Hydrated Beryllium Phosphate Hydroxide)
  • Natramblygonite (Sodium Lithium Aluminum Phosphate Fluoride Hydroxide)
  • Natrophilite (Sodium Magnesium Phosphate)
  • Newberyite (Hydrated Magnesium Hydro-Phosphate)
  • Nissonite (Hydrated Copper Magnesium Phosphate Hydroxide)
  • Overite (Hydrated Calcium Magnesium Aluminum Phosphate Hydroxide)
  • Palermoite (Lithium Sodium Strontium Calcium Aluminum Phosphate Hydroxide)
  • Paraschozite (Hydrated Calcium Zinc Phosphate)
  • Paravauxite (Hydrated Iron Aluminum Phosphate Hydroxide)
  • Phosphoferrite (Hydrated Iron Manganese Phosphate)
  • Phosphophyllite (Hydrated Zinc Iron Manganese Phosphate)
  • Phosphosiderite (Hydrated Iron Phosphate)
  • Plumbogummite (Lead Aluminum Hydro-Phosphate Hydroxide)
  • Pseudomalachite (Copper Phosphate Hydroxide)
  • Pucherite (Bismuth Vanadate)
  • Purpurite (Manganese Phosphate)
  • Reddingite (Hydrated Manganese Iron Phosphate)
  • Rhabdophane (Hydrated Cerium Lanthanum Neodymium Yttrium Phosphate)
  • Rockbridgeite (Iron Manganese Phosphate Hydroxide)
  • Roscherite (Hydrated Calcium Manganese Iron Beryllium Phosphate Hydroxide)
  • Rosemaryite (Sodium Calcium Manganese Iron Magnesium Aluminum Phosphate)
  • Salmonsite (Hydrated Manganese Iron Phosphate)
  • Scholzite (Hydrated Calcium Zinc Phosphate)
  • Scorzalite (Iron Magnesium Aluminum Phosphate Hydroxide)
  • Sicklerite (Lithium Manganese Iron Phosphate)
  • Sincosite (Hydrated Calcium Vanadate Phosphate)
  • Spencerite (Hydrated Zinc Phosphate Hydroxide)
  • Stercorite (Hydrated Sodium Ammonium Hydro-Phosphate)
  • Stewartite (Hydrated Manganese Iron Phosphate Hydroxide)
  • Strengite (Hydrated Iron Phosphate)
  • Strunzite (Hydrated Manganese Iron Phosphate Hydroxide)
  • Struvite (Hydrated Ammonium Magnesium Phosphate)
  • Switzerite (Hydrated Manganese Iron Phosphate)
  • Tarbuttite (Zinc Phosphate Hydroxide)
  • Tavorite (Lithium Iron Phosphate Hydroxide)
  • Triphylite (Lithium Iron Manganese Phosphate)
  • Triplite (Manganese Iron Magnesium Calcium Phosphate Fluoride Hydroxide)
  • Triploidite (Manganese Iron Phosphate Hydroxide)
  • Trolleite (Aluminum Phosphate Hydroxide)
  • Tsumebite (Lead Copper Phosphate Sulfate Hydroxide)
  • Turquoise (Hydrated Copper Aluminum Phosphate Hydroxide)
  • Variscite (Hydrated Aluminum Phosphate)
  • Vauxite (Hydrated Iron Aluminum Phosphate Hydroxide)
  • Veszelyite (Hydrated Copper Zinc Phosphate Hydroxide)
  • Vivianite (Hydrated Iron Phosphate)
  • Wagnerite (Magnesium Iron Manganese Calcium Phosphate Fluoride)
  • Wardite (Hydrated Sodium Aluminum Phosphate Hydroxide)
  • Wavellite (Hydrated Aluminum Phosphate Hydroxide Fluoride)
  • Whiteite (Hydrated Calcium Magnesium Iron Manganese Aluminum Phosphate Hydroxide)
  • Whitlockite (Calcium Magnesium Phosphate)
  • Wolfeite (Iron Manganese Phosphate Hydroxide)
  • Xenotime (Yttrium Phosphate)

The Uranyl Phosphates

  • Autunite (Hydrated Calcium Uranyl Phosphate)
  • Coconinoite (Hydrated Iron Aluminum Uranyl Phosphate Sulfate Hydroxide)
  • Dumontite (Hydrated Lead Uranyl Phosphate Hydroxide)
  • Meta-ankoleite (Hydrated Potassium Uranyl Phosphate)
  • Meta-autunite (Hydrated Calcium Uranyl Phosphate)
  • Meta-torbernite (Hydrated Copper Uranyl Phosphate)
  • Meta-uranocircite (Hydrated Barium Uranyl Phosphate)
  • Parsonite (Hydrated Lead Uranyl Phosphate)
  • Phosphuranylite (Hydrated Calcium Uranyl Phosphate Hydroxide)
  • Phuralumite (Hydrated Aluminum Uranyl Phosphate Hydroxide)
  • Phurcalite (Hydrated Calcium Uranyl Phosphate Hydroxide)
  • Renardite (Hydrated Lead Uranyl Phosphate Hydroxide)
  • Sabugalite (Hydrated Aluminum Uranyl Hydro-Phosphate)
  • Saleeite (Hydrated Magnesium Uranyl Phosphate)
  • Torbernite (Hydrated Copper Uranyl Phosphate)
  • Uramphite (Hydrated Ammonium Uranyl Phosphate)
  • Uranocircite (Hydrated Barium Uranyl Phosphate)

See also these subclasses: Arsenates, Vanadates and the Antimonates


Much information for this page provided by the Mineralogy Database.
Some Colorful Members of the Colorful Phosphates Class








 


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