Editing Thorite (section)

==Occurrence==

[[File:Thorit 1.jpg|thumb|left|Thorite in Prague national museum]]
[[File:Thorites - CAMR www.amrminerals.co.uk 10-crop.jpg|thumb|left|Small crystals of green thorite under magnification]]

Specimens of thorite generally come from [[igneous rock|igneous]] [[pegmatite]]s and [[volcanic]] extrusive rocks, hydrothermal veins and contact [[metamorphic rock]]s. It is also known to occur as small grains in detrital sands. Crystals are rare, but when found can produce nicely shaped short prismatic crystals with pyramidal terminations.
It is commonly associated with [[zircon]], [[monazite]], [[gadolinite]], [[fergusonite]], [[uraninite]], [[yttrialite]] and [[pyrochlore]].<ref name=HBM/>

Thorite is currently an important ore of [[uranium]]. A variety of thorite, often called "uranothorite", is particularly rich in uranium and has been a viable uranium ore at Bancroft in [[Ontario]], Canada. Other varieties of thorite include "orangite", an orange variety, and "calciothorite", an impure variety with trace amounts of [[calcium]].