xenotime
Definition
Noun: A rare mineral, yttrium phosphate (YPO₄), that crystallizes in the tetragonal system. It is a significant source of the element yttrium and often contains trace amounts of other rare-earth elements. It typically occurs as brown or yellow-brown crystals.
Usage
Xenotime is primarily discussed in geological, mineralogical, and industrial contexts. * Xenotime is often found in granite pegmatites and certain metamorphic rocks. * The geologist identified the small, brown crystal as xenotime under the microscope. * Due to its yttrium content, xenotime is an important ore for rare-earth elements.
Advanced Usage
- As a scientific specimen: Xenotime is valued by mineral collectors for its well-formed crystals.
- The museum's new acquisition is a superb crystal of xenotime on a quartz matrix.
- In geochronology: Xenotime can be used in uranium-thorium-lead dating to determine the age of rocks.
- Scientists analyzed the xenotime grains to date the Precambrian metamorphic event.
Variants and Related Words
- Xenotime-(Y): The full mineralogical name, specifying yttrium as the dominant rare-earth element.
- Monazite: A related phosphate mineral containing cerium and other light rare-earth elements, often found in association with xenotime.
Synonyms
- Yttrium phosphate (the chemical name).
Notes
- There are no common idioms, phrasal verbs, or colloquial uses associated with this highly specialized scientific term.
Noun
-
a brown-to-yellow mineral that is a phosphate of yttrium in crystalline form
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