In the ore of what metal would you look for thorium? Explain.In the ore of what metal would you look for thorium? Explain.

An ore is a naturally occurring material that contains a metal or mineral in a high enough concentration to be economically mined. Ores can be formed in a variety of geological processes, and can be found distributed throughout the Earth's crust.

Thorium is a radioactive chemical element with symbol Th and atomic number 90. It is a metal in the actinide series of periodic table, and occurs naturally as a mineral, primarily as thorium-232. Thorium is used as a nuclear fuel, and also has potential applications in various other technologies.

Thorium is commonly found in the ore of the mineral monazite. Monazite is a highly radioactive, reddish-brown phosphate mineral, primarily composed of the rare earth elements cerium, lanthanum, praseodymium, and neodymium, along with thorium and sometimes uranium.

Monazite forms as an accessory mineral in granitic and other igneous rocks, as well as in metamorphic rocks. Over geological time, these rocks can be weathered and eroded, leading to the concentration of monazite in sedimentary deposits such as placer deposits, commonly found in river systems or along beach shores. The reason thorium is found in monazite is because of its similar physical and chemical properties to the rare earth elements it coexists with. This makes them more likely to form a solid solution with each other, leading to monazite hosting small amounts of thorium-232. In conclusion, to look for thorium, you would principally search in the ore of the mineral monazite, which is a phosphate mineral containing rare earth elements and thorium.