Mineral Colour Plates are small thumbnail images of minerals, as well as synthetic compounds and chemical elements, with articles that can be found in the MIROFOSS database. The following table shows all of the PHOSPHATE GROUP minerals found in MIROFOSS organized vertically by colour. Certain minerals may appear in multiple colour categories if the mineral can be found in more then one colour range. Clicking on a mineral plate image will bring you to the corresponding MIROFOSS article. Please note this page may take a while to load on slower computers or with slower internet connections.

The element phosphorus is very important for the basic machinery of life. Thus phosphate minerals, in which phosphorus is oxidized in the phosphate group, are part of a tight geochemical cycle that includes the biosphere, rather like the carbon cycle. Phosphate minerals are those minerals that contain the tetrahedrally coordinated phosphate anion along with the freely substituting arsenate and vanadate. Chlorine, fluorine, and hydroxide 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. The following table lists, by colour, all of the phosphate minerals which can be found in the MIROFOSS database.