Monazites are one of the most interesting groups of accessory mineral components of crystalline rocks due to the information on geochemical evolution of the crystallisation environment coded in their chemical compositions, in addition to comprising one of the most valuable objects for geochronology studies. This paper presents monazite-(Sm) and monazite-(Nd) from the Blue Beryl Dyke of the Julianna system of rare-element pegmatites at Piława Górna, Lower Silesia, Poland. These monazites are unique due to their unusually high Sm and Nd contents, reaching 33.22 wt.% Sm2O3 and 34.12 wt.% Nd2O3, respectively. We consider the most significant factors of the enrichment in Sm and Nd to be the occurrence of highly fractionated pegmatite-forming melts during the final stages of solidification and associated hydrothermal fluids that were strongly enriched in rare earth element REE–Cl and REE–F complexes. Local disequilibria allowed for the rapid growth of accessory phases under supercooling conditions associated with the scavenging of selected elements, leading to their local depletion, which was not balanced by diffusion processes. As a consequence, the depletion of light rare earth elements (LREE) led to the incorporation of available middle rare earth elements (MREE, Sm–Dy) in the case of Sm and Nd, which could occupy an acceptable structural position in minerals of the monazite group.

Using type material from the Österby pegmatite in Dalarna, Sweden, the chemical composition and structural parameters of thalénite-(Y) [ideally Y3Si3O10(OH)] were examined by wavelength dispersive spectroscopy electron microprobe (WDS EMP) analysis and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. High contrast back-scatter electron images of the Österby material show at least two generations of thalénite-(Y). The formula of the primary thalénite-(Y) normalized to 11 anions is (Y2.58Dy0.11Yb0.09Gd0.06Er0.06Ho0.02Sm0.02Tb0.02Lu0.02Nd0.01Tm0.01)Σ3.00Si3.01O10F0.97OH0.03. The secondary thalénite-(Y), replacing the primary material, is weakly enhanced in Y and depleted in the lightest and the heaviest rare-earth elements, yielding the formula (Y2.63Dy0.12Yb0.06Gd0.06Er0.05Ho0.02Sm0.02Tb0.02Tm0.01Nd0.01Lu0.01)Σ3.00Si3.01O10F0.98OH0.02. Structural data for thalénite-(Y) from Österby clearly indicate the monoclinic space group P21/n, with a = 7.3464(4), b = 11.1726(5), c = 10.4180(5) Å, β = 97.318(4)°, V = 848.13(7) Å3, Z = 4, which is consistent with previous investigations. The structure was refined from single-crystal X-ray diffraction data to R1 = 0.0371 for 1503 unique observed reflections, and the final chemical composition obtained from the refinement, (Y2.64Dy0.36)Σ3.00F0.987[Si3O10], Z = 4, is in good agreement with the empirical formula resulting from electron microprobe (EMP) analysis. Both techniques reveal a strong dominance of F over OH, which means that the type material actually corresponds to the fluorine analogue. Moreover, new EMP analyses of samples of thalénite-(Y) from an additional seven localities (Åskagen and Reunavare in Sweden; White Cloud and Snow Flake in Colorado, USA; the Guy Hazel claim in Arizona, USA; Suishoyama and Souri in Japan) clearly show the prevalence of F over OH as well. Based on these observations, the Commission on New Minerals, Nomenclature and Classification of the International Mineralogical Association has recommended a redefinition of the chemical composition of thalénite-(Y) to represent the F-dominant species with the ideal formula Y3Si3O10F, as it has historical priority. Consequently, the later described fluorthalénite-(Y) has to be discredited.