Because of the lanthanide content
THORIUM
Some thorium ores are monazite, thorianite, thorite.
You think very probable to monazite.
Ytterbium is obtained from other rare earth elements in several rare minerals, gadolinite, monazite and xenotime.
Not magnetic
Monazite sand is far more common than large monazite rocks and large beds of monazite don't exist. Not all monazite contains thorium.
No it is not found . Monazite sand usually contains thorium.
Monazite sands contain minerals such as monazite, xenotime, zircon, and bastnäsite. These minerals are rich in rare earth elements such as cerium, lanthanum, and neodymium. Monazite sands are important sources of these rare earth elements, which are used in various high-tech applications.
THORIUM
Monazite is a phosphate of lanthanoids - (Lant)PO4, containing sometimes uranium and thorium; see the link below.
INR 185000/Ton
thorium
Today it is mined as Monazite, in Brazil , China, California.
The Price of monazite sand varies based on its constituents, especially the percentage of Thorium and Cerium. For example, with a Thorium content of between 0.5% and 3%, Monazite sands can cost between $8 to $12 per gram from many African Countries.
Thorium is extracted from minerals as monazite, thorite, thorianite.
thorium
it is found in Travancore, south India.