Phosphate rock (or Phosphorite) basically refers to any form of rock that possesses a high phosphorous content. Often extracted by means of surface drilling, this rock is mined through a blasting and harvesting process. Its uses are quite varied. Frequently it is utilized to make calcium phosphate nutritional supplements, and more regularly it is put into fertilizers for agricultural use.
Nearly 80% of the world phosphate rock is currently mined from sedimentary deposits of phosphate rich material endemic to areas such as China, the Middle East, Africa and the US. Now produced almost exclusively from surface mines (versus underground mines), phosphate rock is an extremely useful mineral.
