phosphate rock

noun

1. phosphorite.

Word History and Origins

Origin of phosphate rock¹

First recorded in 1865–70

Example Sentences

Phosphorus predominantly comes from mining phosphate rock sources, of which there are only a relatively small number of sources located in countries like Morocco and Russia.

From Science Daily

In a statement, Genco acknowledged the attack and said the vessel was carrying a load of phosphate rock.

From Seattle Times

Phosphate fertilizer is made from phosphate rock — a non-renewable resource which is rapidly depleting through agricultural use.

From Salon

Fertilizers are made from phosphate rock that contains naturally occurring uranium and thorium, which decay to radium, and radium decays to the radioactive gas radon, the Environmental Protection Agency says.

From Seattle Times

And while phosphorus might be a building block for life, phosphate rock used to make synthetic fertilizer is a finite resource that could one day be depleted.

From The Verge