Monazite

A well-formed floater crystal of brown, opaque monazite with sharp terminations—a superb example of this uncommon mineral. This specimen hails from the lesser-known Brignall Mine (also known as the McQuire and Robinson Mine) in Ontario, Canada. The mine was centred on a large pegmatite dike, accessed via an open pit approximately 100 feet in diameter, the lower 20 feet now water-filled. The exposed dike, as observed on the pit walls and in dump material, primarily consists of pink microcline with irregular glassy white quartz and small books of muscovite and occasional red garnets. Operated in the 1920s by the McQuire-Robinson Radium and By-Product Company.