close
Log InRegister
Quick Links : The Mindat ManualThe Rock H. Currier Digital LibraryMindat Newsletter [Free Download]
Home PageAbout MindatThe Mindat ManualHistory of MindatCopyright StatusWho We AreContact UsAdvertise on Mindat
Donate to MindatCorporate SponsorshipSponsor a PageSponsored PagesMindat AdvertisersAdvertise on Mindat
Learning CenterWhat is a mineral?The most common minerals on earthInformation for EducatorsMindat ArticlesThe ElementsThe Rock H. Currier Digital LibraryGeologic TimeExplore Fossils
Minerals by PropertiesMinerals by ChemistryMineral Visual ExplorerAdvanced Locality SearchRandom MineralRandom LocalitySearch by minIDLocalities Near MeSearch ArticlesSearch GlossaryMore Search Options
Search For:
Mineral Name:
Locality Name:
Keyword(s):
 
The Mindat ManualAdd a New PhotoRate PhotosLocality Edit ReportCoordinate Completion ReportAdd Glossary Item
Mining CompaniesStatisticsUsersMineral MuseumsClubs & OrganizationsMineral Shows & EventsThe Mindat DirectoryDevice SettingsThe Mineral QuizTime Machine
Photo SearchPhoto GalleriesSearch by ColorPhoto Colour ExplorerNew Photos TodayNew Photos YesterdayMembers' Photo GalleriesPast Photo of the Day GalleryPhotography

The mineralogy of Yttrium

General Properties
Symbol:Y
Commodity pages:Yttrium
Atomic Number:39
Standard atomic weight (Ar):88.90585(2)
Electron configuration:[Kr] 4d1 5s2
Photos
ImageImageImageImageImage
<
Yttrium
>
Atomic Properties
Electronegativity (Pauling scale):1.22
Atomic Radius:212 pm
Ionic Radius:90 pm (+3)
1st Ionization energy:600 kJ/mol
1st Electron affinity:-30 kJ/mol
Oxidation States:1,2,3
Physical Properties
Standard State:solid
Bonding Type:metallic
Melting Point:1799 K
Boiling Point:3618 K
Density:4.47 g/cm3
Metal/Non-Metal:transition metal
Main isotopes of Yttrium
Isotope% in NatureHalf LifeDecay typeDecay product
87Ysynthetic3.35dε87Sr
88Ysynthetic106.6dε88Sr
89Y100%stable
Main ions of Yttrium
NameIonExample minerals
yttriumY3+Xenotime-(Y)
Other Information
Year Discovered:1794
Discovered By:
07247210017361246371624.jpg
Johan Gadolin
Year Isolated:1840
Isolated By:
02405790017362063355715.jpg
Carl Gustav Mosander
Named For:
01795530017272008658673.jpg
after Ytterby, Sweden
CPK color coding:#94FFFF
External Links:WikipediaWebElementsLos Alamos National LaboratoryTheodore Gray's PeriodicTable.com
Simple Compounds and Mineral Names
Sulfidesdiyttrium trisulphideY2S3+3
Hydridesyttrium dihydrideYH2+2
yttrium trihydrideYH3+3
Fluoridesyttrium trifluorideYF3+3Waimirite-(Y)
Chloridesyttrium trichlorideYCl3+3
Bromidesyttrium tribromideYBr3+3
Iodidesyttrium triiodideYI3+3
Oxidesdiyttrium trioxideY2O3+3Yttriaite-(Y)
Mineral Diversity of Yttrium
3. Halides4 valid mineral species
4. Oxides 22 valid mineral species
5. Carbonates 28 valid mineral species
6. Borates2 valid mineral species
7. Sulfates 9 valid mineral species
8. Phosphates, Arsenates, Vanadates11 valid mineral species
9. Silicates 57 valid mineral species
10. Organic Compounds1 valid mineral species
Total:134 valid species containing essential Yttrium
Minerals with the greatest weight % of Yttrium
Yttriaite-(Y)Y2O378.74 %
Waimirite-(Y)YF360.94 %
Tritomite-(Y)Y5(SiO4,BO4)3(O,OH,F)60.33 %
Britholite-(Y)(Y,Ca)5(SiO4)3OH60.25 %
Fluorbritholite-(Y)(Y,Ca)5(SiO4)3F60.09 %
Proshchenkoite-(Y)Ca(Y,REE,Ca,Na,Mn)15Fe2+(P,Si)Si6B3O34F1453.96 %
Iimoriite-(Y)Y2[SiO4][CO3]53.90 %
Bastnäsite-(Y)Y(CO3)F52.95 %
Okanoganite-(Y)(Na,Ca)3(Y,Ce)12Si6B2O27F1452.71 %
Yttrialite-(Y)(Y,Th)2Si2O751.39 %
Geochemistry of Yttrium
Goldschmidt classification:Lithophile
Y3+ is enriched in Ca-Al-rich inclusions in meteorites relative to the composition of the solar system.
Y3+ enters early-forming phases in igneous rocks.
Y3+ is concentrated in deep-sea ferromanganese nodules relative to seawater.
Elemental Abundance for Yttrium
Crust (CRC Handbook)3.3 x 10-5mass fraction, kg/kg
Crust (Kaye & Laby)3.5 x 10-7mass fraction, kg/kg
Crust (Greenwood)3.1 x 10-5mass fraction, kg/kg
Crust (Ahrens/Taylor)2.0 x 10-5mass fraction, kg/kg
Crust (Ahrens/Weaver)1.4 x 10-5mass fraction, kg/kg
Upper Crust (Ahrens/Taylor)2.2 x 10-5mass fraction, kg/kg
Upper Crust (Ahrens/Shaw)2.1 x 10-5mass fraction, kg/kg
Sea Water (CRC Handbook)1.3 x 10-11mass per volume fraction, kg/L
Sea Water (Kaye & Laby)1.3 x 10-12mass per volume fraction, kg/L
The Sun (Kaye & Laby)4.9 x 10-6atom mole fraction relative to Si=1
Solar System (Kaye & Laby)4.6 x 10-6atom mole fraction relative to Si=1
Solar System (Ahrens)4.64 x 10-6 (6.0%)atom mole fraction relative to Si=1 (% uncertainty)
Element association of Yttrium in the Mineral World
This table compares the known valid mineral species listed listed with Yttrium and the other elements listed based on the official IMA formula. Note that unlike other sections on this page this includes non-essential elements.

The first data column contains the total number of minerals listed with Yttrium and the element listed for that row.

The second data column lists this number as a percentage of all minerals listed with Yttrium.

The final data column compares this percentage against the percentage of all minerals that contain the element listed in each row.

Click on a heading to sort.
ElementValid Minerals listed with element and Yttrium% of Y mineralsRelative to % in all minerals
Oxygen144 minerals with Y and O97.96%20.64% higher
Hydrogen78 minerals with Y and H53.06%4.51% lower
Silicon65 minerals with Y and Si44.22%60.49% higher
Calcium56 minerals with Y and Ca38.10%53.04% higher
Fluorine41 minerals with Y and F27.89%254.41% higher
Carbon38 minerals with Y and C25.85%216.86% higher
Sodium36 minerals with Y and Na24.49%31.38% higher
Titanium28 minerals with Y and Ti19.05%170.09% higher
Iron28 minerals with Y and Fe19.05%14.69% lower
Aluminium18 minerals with Y and Al12.24%38.49% lower
Uranium18 minerals with Y and U12.24%136.52% higher
Boron17 minerals with Y and B11.56%131.26% higher
Niobium16 minerals with Y and Nb10.88%251.85% higher
Phosphorus13 minerals with Y and P8.84%27.88% lower
Cerium12 minerals with Y and Ce8.16%163.89% higher
Manganese11 minerals with Y and Mn7.48%35.60% lower
Lead10 minerals with Y and Pb6.80%37.03% lower
Beryllium9 minerals with Y and Be6.12%182.95% higher
Potassium9 minerals with Y and K6.12%37.99% lower
Barium9 minerals with Y and Ba6.12%32.17% higher
Tantalum9 minerals with Y and Ta6.12%438.00% higher
Sulfur8 minerals with Y and S5.44%75.29% lower
Vanadium7 minerals with Y and V4.76%1.30% lower
Arsenic7 minerals with Y and As4.76%63.37% lower
Strontium7 minerals with Y and Sr4.76%71.73% higher
Magnesium5 minerals with Y and Mg3.40%74.40% lower
Chromium5 minerals with Y and Cr3.40%81.38% higher
Neodymium5 minerals with Y and Nd3.40%292.98% higher
Zirconium5 minerals with Y and Zr3.40%40.54% higher
Chlorine4 minerals with Y and Cl2.72%63.01% lower
Copper4 minerals with Y and Cu2.72%79.86% lower
Lanthanum4 minerals with Y and La2.72%97.41% higher
Thorium4 minerals with Y and Th2.72%324.42% higher
Zinc3 minerals with Y and Zn2.04%63.52% lower
Gadolinium3 minerals with Y and Gd2.04%2,022.11% higher
Ytterbium3 minerals with Y and Yb2.04%2,022.11% higher
Lithium2 minerals with Y and Li1.36%32.09% lower
Dysprosium2 minerals with Y and Dy1.36%2,729.48% higher
Tungsten2 minerals with Y and W1.36%48.92% higher
Scandium1 mineral with Y and Sc0.68%57.19% higher
Molybdenum1 mineral with Y and Mo0.68%56.69% lower
Samarium1 mineral with Y and Sm0.68%748.84% higher
Erbium1 mineral with Y and Er0.68%4,144.22% higher
Periodic Table
1H 2He
3Li 4Be 5B 6C 7N 8O 9F 10Ne
11Na 12Mg 13Al 14Si 15P 16S 17Cl 18Ar
19K 20Ca 21Sc 22Ti 23V 24Cr 25Mn 26Fe 27Co 28Ni 29Cu 30Zn 31Ga 32Ge 33As 34Se 35Br 36Kr
37Rb 38Sr 39Y 40Zr 41Nb 42Mo 43Tc 44Ru 45Rh 46Pd 47Ag 48Cd 49In 50Sn 51Sb 52Te 53I 54Xe
55Cs 56Ba 57La 72Hf 73Ta 74W 75Re 76Os 77Ir 78Pt 79Au 80Hg 81Tl 82Pb 83Bi 84Po 85At 86Rn
87Fr 88Ra 89Ac 104Rd 105Db 106Sg 107Bh 108Hs 109Mt 110Ds 111Rg 112Cn 113Nh 114Fl 115Mc 116Lv 117Ts 118Og
 
58Ce 59Pr 60Nd 61Pm 62Sm 63Eu 64Gd 65Tb 66Dy 67Ho 68Er 69Tm 70Yb 71Lu
90Th 91Pa 92U 93Np 94Pu 95Am 96Cm 97Bk 98Cf 99Es 100Fm 101Md 102No 103Lr
Default Categories CPK Electronegativity Atomic Radius Lowest Oxidation Highest Oxidation Crustal Abundance Goldschmidt Mineral Species Minerals with Y Relative Frequency
Strontium << Yttrium >> Zirconium


Most widespread minerals containing Yttrium
This list of minerals containing Yttrium is built from the mindat.org locality database. This is based on the number of localities entered for mineral species and is therefore slanted towards minerals interesting to collectors with less coverage of common rock-forming-minerals so it does not give an undistorted distribution of Yttrium mineral species. It is more useful when comparing rare species rather than common species.
NameFormulaCrystal SystemMindat Localities
Xenotime-(Y)Y(PO4)Tetragonal1202
Euxenite-(Y)(Y,Ca,Ce,U,Th)(Nb,Ta,Ti)2O6Orthorhombic634
Samarskite-(Y)YFe3+Nb2O8Monoclinic412
Fergusonite-(Y)YNbO4Tetragonal253
Gadolinite-(Y)Y2Fe2+Be2Si2O10Monoclinic219
Aeschynite-(Y)Y(TiNb)O6Orthorhombic196
Kainosite-(Y)Ca2Y2(SiO3)4(CO3) · H2OOrthorhombic124
Agardite-(Y)YCu6(AsO4)3(OH)6 · 3H2OHexagonal114
Churchite-(Y)Y(PO4) · 2H2OMonoclinic104
Hingganite-(Y)(Y,REE,Ca)2(â—»,Fe2+)Be2[SiO4]2(OH)2Monoclinic84
Photos
03962720017271927656572.jpg
Xenotime-(Y)

Rodetti, Meana di Susa, Metropolitan City of Turin, Piedmont, Italy
02467950017271922715230.jpg
Euxenite-(Y)

HĂĄverstad, Iveland, Agder, Norway
01058380017864807533061.jpg
Samarskite-(Y), etc.

Spinelli prospect, Glastonbury, Hartford County, Connecticut, USA
01857890017271923069430.jpg
Fergusonite-(Y)

Ambalabe pegmatite, Manapa pegmatite Field, Anosiarivo Manapa, Betafo District, Vakinankaratra, Madagascar
05046640017867017806713.jpg
Xenotime-(Y)

Rodetti, Meana di Susa, Metropolitan City of Turin, Piedmont, Italy
04072680017864808533084.jpg
Euxenite-(Y)

HĂĄverstad, Iveland, Agder, Norway
01058380017864807533061.jpg
Samarskite-(Y), etc.

Spinelli prospect, Glastonbury, Hartford County, Connecticut, USA
01857890017271923069430.jpg
Fergusonite-(Y)

Ambalabe pegmatite, Manapa pegmatite Field, Anosiarivo Manapa, Betafo District, Vakinankaratra, Madagascar
03962720017271927656572.jpg
Xenotime-(Y)

Rodetti, Meana di Susa, Metropolitan City of Turin, Piedmont, Italy
02467950017271922715230.jpg
Euxenite-(Y)

HĂĄverstad, Iveland, Agder, Norway
06415060017864807539586.jpg
Samarskite-(Y), etc.

Spinelli prospect, Glastonbury, Hartford County, Connecticut, USA
01857890017271923069430.jpg
Fergusonite-(Y)

Ambalabe pegmatite, Manapa pegmatite Field, Anosiarivo Manapa, Betafo District, Vakinankaratra, Madagascar

Localities with greatest number of different Yttrium mineral species
1Hundholmen, Narvik, Nordland, Norway27 Y minerals
2Poudrette quarry (De-Mix quarry; Demix quarry; Uni-Mix quarry; Carrière Mont Saint-Hilaire; MSH), Mont Saint-Hilaire, La Vallée-du-Richelieu RCM, Montérégie, Québec, Canada21 Y minerals
3Stetind pegmatite, Narvik, Nordland, Norway20 Y minerals
4Suishoyama pegmatite (Suishouyama; Suisyoyama; Suishyoyama), Iizaka Village (Iisaka), Kawamata, Date District, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan19 Y minerals
5Pyörönmaa pegmatite, Valkeakoski, Pirkanmaa, Finland16 Y minerals
6Ploskaya Mountain, Western Keivy Massif, Keivy Mountains, Lovozersky District, Murmansk Oblast, Russia15 Y minerals
7Evans-Lou Mine, Lake Saint-Pierre, Saint-Pierre-de-Wakefield, Val-des-Monts, Les Collines-de-l'Outaouais RCM, Outaouais, Québec, Canada12 Y minerals
8Dara-i-Pioz Massif, Districts of Republican Subordination, Tajikistan12 Y minerals
 
Image Image
and/or  
Mindat.org® is an outreach project of the Hudson Institute of Mineralogy, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. Mindat® and mindat.org® are registered trademarks of the Hudson Institute of Mineralogy.
Copyright © mindat.org and the Hudson Institute of Mineralogy 1993-2026, except where stated. Most political location boundaries are © OpenStreetMap contributors. Mindat.org relies on the contributions of thousands of members and supporters. Founded in 2000 by Jolyon Ralph and Ida Chau.
Content on this site may not be used to train, fine-tune, or otherwise develop artificial intelligence or machine learning models without prior written permission - see our Terms & Conditions.
To cite: Ralph, J., Von Bargen, D., Martynov, P., Zhang, J., Que, X., Prabhu, A., Morrison, S. M., Li, W., Chen, W., & Ma, X. (2025). Mindat.org: The open access mineralogy database to accelerate data-intensive geoscience research. American Mineralogist, 110(6), 833–844. doi:10.2138/am-2024-9486.
Privacy Policy - Terms & Conditions - Contact Us / DMCA issues - Report a bug/vulnerability Current server date and time: August 27, 2026 01:25:21
Go to top of page