Phosphate Minerals

Phosphate minerals are those minerals that contain the tetrahedrally coordinated phosphate (PO₄3-) anion along with the freely substituting arsenate (AsO₄3-) and vanadate (VO₄3-). Chlorine (Cl-), fluorine (F-), and hydroxide (OH-) anions 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.