[2][3][4] It is a relatively rare mineral but is found in granitic pegmatites, phosphate rock deposits, guano caves and in chondrite meteorites.

However, recent studies using x-ray and electron diffraction have been able to identify compositional differences that separate one type of whitlockite from another.

Magnesium whitlockite has been implicated in different disease states[5] and is currently being studied for use in the fabrication of human prosthetics.

However, it differs considerably from most other phosphate minerals, including apatite, in its chemical composition and the molar proportions of these components.

The first serious studies of the mineral whitlockite were launched in 1952 on terrestrial specimens from the Palermo pegmatite quarry near North Groton, New Hampshire.

[8] A decade later, the Apollo landing missions returned an impressive array of lunar rocks as well as other kinds of meteoric material.

This unique resource led to an unprecedented barrage of geologic studies designed to characterize and define the composition and structure of minerals in these specimens.

Bobdownsite is a variety of whitlockite from Yukon, Canada, that was thought to contain fluorine bonded directly to phosphorus, giving it the chemical formula Ca9(Mg)(PO4)6(PO3F)[10] However, subsequent investigation failed to find any monofluorophosphate in samples of bobdownsite, the mineral was discredited as a distinct species, and recommendations were made to tighten the criteria for identifying minerals as containing monofluorophosphate.

Extraterrestrial whitlockite has been identified in lunar samples as well as martian and other types of meteorites, where it is one of the most common phosphate minerals.

Studies of merrillite as an accessory mineral have provided valuable insights that have helped to unlock the petrogenesis of extraterrestrial rocks.

[5][14] Whitlockite can be found at many sites in the human body, but is particularly concentrated in calcified tissues, such as embryonic and adult bone.