Fluorite

CaF₂ Calcium Fluoride

Fluorite is a halide mineral that is soft and usually colorless but can be blue, purple, green, brown, or yellow. Some times several colors are present in the same crystal creating a striking affect.

Fluorite forms crystals in the isometric system, typically cubic crystals, though octahedral, or eight sided, crystals are also common.

It is found in hydrothermal vein deposits often associated with metallic minerals as well as barite, quartz, and calcite.

Some specimens exhibit fluorescence under ultraviolet light.

Its commercial value is in steel making. It helps the molten steel flow more easily and removes impurities like phosphorus and sulfur. It also has some excellent optical qualities that find use in telescopes.

Fluorite is a widely occurring mineral. The largest deposits in the U.S. occur in S. Illinois and Western Kentucky.

Mineral Properties

Chemical formula: CaF₂ calcium fluoride
Color(s): colorless, blue, purple, green, yellow, brown
Streak: white
Luster: vitreous, glassy
Transparency: transparent to translucent
Crystal system: isometric
Specific Gravity: 3.1
Hardness (Mohs): 4
Cleavage: perfect in four directions
Fracture: irregular
Uses: used as a flux in steel making, optical lenses, and mineral specimens
Location: England; Spain; China; Brazil; Morocco; Ontario, Canada; Mexico, and Germany. In the U.S. it is found in Tennessee, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and Colorado.

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