Phosphate mineral

Phosphate minerals are minerals that contain the tetrahedrally coordinated phosphate (PO3−4) anion, sometimes with arsenate (AsO3−4) and vanadate (VO3−4) substitutions, along with chloride (Cl), fluoride (F), and hydroxide (OH) anions, that also fit into the crystal structure.

The phosphate class of minerals is a large and diverse group, however, only a few species are relatively common.