Mineral (Ce,La,Y,Th)PO4; sp. gr. 4.9–5.4; hardness 5.0–5.5; monoclinic; clove-brown to reddish-brown to orange and green; off-white streak; resinous to waxy lustre; crystals small, short, prismatic to tabular grains, with larger crystals showing striated faces; cleavage imperfect basal {001}; found extensively as an accessory mineral in granites and pegmatites, in gneisses and carbonatites, and concentrated in alluvial sands and placers. It is used as a source of cerium, thorium, and other rare-earth metals and compounds.