Yellow-orange, brownish yellow, brownish black, black, green
Crystal habit
In square prisms, or pseudo-octahedral crystals; also massive
Cleavage
Distinct on {110}
Fracture
Conchoidal
Tenacity
Brittle
Mohs scale hardness
4.5 – 5
Luster
Vitreous to resinous
Streak
Light orange to light brown sometimes even an alien magenta
Diaphaneity
Nearly opaque, transparent in thin fragments
Specific gravity
6.63 – 7.20
Optical properties
Uniaxial (−)
Refractive index
nω = 1.790 – 1.840 nε = 1.780 – 1.820
Birefringence
δ = 0.010 – 0.020
Alters to
Commonly metamict
Other characteristics
Radioactive
References
[2][3][4]
Thorite, (Th,U)SiO4, is a rare nesosilicate of thorium that crystallizes in the tetragonal system and is isomorphous with zircon and hafnon. It is the most common mineral of thorium and is nearly always strongly radioactive. Thorite was discovered in 1828 on the island of Løvøya, Norway, by the vicar and mineralogist, Hans Morten Thrane Esmark. First specimens of Thorite were sent to his father, Jens Esmark, who was a professor of mineralogy and geology.[5][6][7] It was named in 1829 to reflect its thorium content.
^Berzelius, M. (1829). "Thorite, a new mineral, and thorina, a new earth". Philosophical Magazine. Series 2. 6 (35): 392–393. doi:10.1080/14786442908675174.
^Berzelius, J. J. (1829). "Untersuchung eines neuen Minerals und einer darin enthaltenen zuvor unbekannten Erde". Annalen der Physik und Chemie. 92 (7): 385–415. Bibcode:1829AnP....92..385B. doi:10.1002/andp.18290920702.
^Marshall, J.L.; Marshall, V.R. (2001). "Rediscovery of the Elements- Thorium-Løvøya, Langesundsfjord, Norway" (PDF). The Hexagon. 93: 70–73. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2005-04-08.
Thorite, (Th,U)SiO4, is a rare nesosilicate of thorium that crystallizes in the tetragonal system and is isomorphous with zircon and hafnon. It is the...
known to undergo metamictisation include allanite, gadolinite, ekanite, thorite and titanite. Ekanite is almost invariably found completely metamict as...
Asbestos (fibrous serpentine- or amphibole minerals) Auerlite (variety of thorite) Avalite (chromian variety of illite) Aventurine (variety of quartz) Babefphite...
hydrothermal vein type deposits. It occurs in association with uraninite, thorite, pyrite, marcasite, roscoelite, clay minerals and amorphous organic matter...
mineralogy and REE mineralization. Most commonly the thorium is found as thorite hosted in quartz veins, whereas REEs are contained within monazite. The...
priest and mineralogist. He is most noted for first locating the mineral thorite. Morten Thrane Esmark was born at Kongsberg in Buskerud, Norway as a son...
Example of watercooled thermoelectric cloud chamber Radioactivity of a thorite mineral seen in a cloud chamber Diffusion cloud chamber with 4.6kV ion...
solutions and the name of the mineral changes according to the ThO2 content. Thorite (chiefly thorium silicate, ThSiO4), also has a high thorium content and...
million (ppm) of thorium. Thorium occurs in several minerals including thorite (ThSiO4), thorianite (ThO2 + UO2) and monazite. Thorianite is a rare mineral...
Hafnon (HfSiO4), xenotime (YPO4), béhierite, schiavinatoite ((Ta,Nb)BO4), thorite (ThSiO4), and coffinite (USiO4) all share the same crystal structure (IVX...
Lely, Jr. and L. Hamburger Berzelius obtained the oxide of a new earth in thorite. 57 Lanthanum 1838 G. Mosander 1841 G. Mosander Mosander found a new element...
crystallizes in the monoclinic system. It is dimorphous with tetragonal thorite, and isostructual with monazite. An uncommon mineral, huttonite forms transparent...
Niger (6.4%). The most abundant thorium minerals are thorianite (ThO2), thorite (ThSiO4) and monazite, ((Th,Ca,Ce)PO4). Most thorium minerals contain uranium...
element minerals found in Ananthapur district include allanite, cerite, thorite, columbite, tantalite, apatite, zircon, monazite, pyrochlore euxenite and...
bearing variety of thorite. It was originally described as a hydrous silico-phosphate of thorium, ThO2(SiO2,⅓P2O5)+2H2O, i.e. thorite in which part of the...
Democratic Republic of Congo - Kasaï region Earth sciences portal Uraninite Thorite Classification of minerals List of minerals Warr, L.N. (2021). "IMA–CNMNC...
aegirine, batisite, eckermanite, innelite, lorezenite, natrolite, microcline, thorite, and galena. Aqualite is thought to be formed by ion exchange transformation...
element minerals found in Ananthapur district include allanite, cerite, thorite, columbite, tantalite, apatite, zircon, monazite, pyrochlore euxenite and...
Global Information
Radioactive