Q28.
With reference to India, consider the following statements: 1. Monazite is a source of rare earths. 2. Monazite contains thorium. 3. Monazite occurs naturally in the entire Indian coastal sands in India. 4. In India, Government bodies only can process or export monazite. Which of the statements given above are correct?
Answer
B
Explanation
Statement 1 is correct: Monazite is a primarily reddish-brown phosphate mineral that contains rare-earth elements. Statement 2 is correct: Thorium (Th) can be extracted from monazite ore. Statement 3 is incorrect: Monazite resources are present in beach sand mineral placer deposits along SPECIFIC coastal tracts — not the entire Indian coastline. Statement 4 is correct: Monazite is a prescribed substance under the Department of Atomic Energy. Only IREL, wholly owned by Government of India, handles monazite for production of rare earth compounds and thorium.