ABSTRACT Carbonatites of the Devonian Kola Alkaline Province contain 25 different rare earth minerals, in quantities ranging from accessory to rock-forming proportions. In contrast, Kola phoscorites are practically devoid of rare earth minerals. The most widespread REE mineral in carbonatites is ancylite-(Ce), which is a hydrothermal mineral in nine carbonatite occurrences. Ancylite compositions vary according to locality but can also show fluid evolution, as found at Sallanlatvi. Burbankite and carbocernaite are more common than previously reported in carbonatites world-wide and occur in pegmatitic transition-environment carbonatites at Vuoriyarvi and Khibiny where they are then replaced by ancylite-(Ce) or synchysite-(Ce). The REE fluocarbonates are less common than reported in carbonatites elsewhere, although rare Ba-fluocarbo-nates are found at Khibiny and Vuoriyarvi. Carbonates of Y and the heavy REE , mckelvyite, ewaldite and donnayite, occur in low-temperature, hydrothermal carbonate-zeolite veins at the end of this sequence. Monazite-(Ce) is a common accessory phase and has variable compositions, with three main controls: high Th content and formation by hydrothermal alteration tend to produce low La/Ce ratios and greater mid- REE contents. Small differences in the probability of REE uptake on different growth surfaces result in a pivoting of REE chondrite-normalized patterns around Ce. Burbankite and carbocernaite carbonatites, in particular, yield good data on isotopic source characteristics and in general Nd ratios are more robust than those of Sr. Paragenetic sequences and changes in REE mineral composition record the final magmatic stages of carbonatite emplacement and a fluid evolution in which minerals usually become less light REE -enriched, probably reflecting the increasing water to carbon species ratio of the evolving carbonatite-derived fluid.