Chemistry of monazites as provenance indicator - case study from the Upper Silesia Coal Basin (Poland)

Mineral chemistry and homogeneity, as well as crystal structure and unit cell parameters of detrital monazites isolated from sandstones of the Upper Silesia Coal Basin were studied using electron microprobe analysis (EPMA) and X-ray diffractometry (XRD). Analyzed monazite grains are chemically almost homogenous, only in a very few cases, parts of the grain are enriched in thorium and depleted in yttrium content. Typical feature of monazite from the Poruba Beds is relatively high content of Y (up to 4 wt. % Y2O3), what could point to higher temperature of crystallization. Monazite from the Kwaczała Arkose are, on average, richer in huttonite and slightly poorer in cheralite end-members than monazite from the Poruba Beds. Monazite from Kwaczała Arkose reveals the following unit cell parameters: a = 6.794(1) A*, b = 7.008(2) A*, c = 6.479(2) A*, b = 103.82(2)°, whereas for the Poruba Beds monazite these parameters, excluding b-value, are slightly higher: a = 6.804(3) A*, b = 7.002(5) A*, c = 6.488(4) A*, b = 103.85(3)°.