Fluorite

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Fluorite crystal - click for larger pic
Fluorite crystal
Photo by Violet Anderson
© Royal Ontario Museum

Fluorite crystal - click for larger pic
Fluorite crystal
Photo by Violet Anderson
© Royal Ontario Museum

Fluorite crystal - click for larger pic
Fluorite crystal
© Doug Merson

CaF

Fluorite is a very common species occurring in almost all mode of occurrences.

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS:

Color ranges from pale to very dark purple, pale to intense green, pink,
pale blue, pale to lemon yellow, white and colorless.
Luster is vitreous.
Diaphaneity: the crystals are transparent to translucent.
Crystal System is isometric; Fm
Crystal Habits include cubic, octahedral, dodecahedral and massive.
Cleavage {111} is perfect.
Fracture is brittle.
Hardness is 4.
Specific Gravity is approximately 3.1 g/cm
Streak is white.
Associated Minerals include aegirine, albite, amphibole group, analcime,
ancylite-(Ce), astrophyllite, calcite, catapleiite, chlorite group, cordylite,
elpidite, fluorapatite, microcline, natrolite, nenadkevichite, nepheline,
pectolite, polylithionite, pyrite, pyrophanite, rhodochrosite, siderite,
sphalerite and synchysite.
Origins Named in antiquity from the Latin fluere, to flow, since it melts more esily than other minerals with which it was confused.

CLASSIFICATION:

Dana System
# 9.2.1.1

Strunz Classification
# III/A.08-10

REFERENCES:
MinRec 21:310 (1990), Dana 8:380-383 (1997)

DISTRIBUTION AND RARITY AT MONT SAINT-HILAIRE:

MSH
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Legend

Fluorite crystals - click for larger pic
Fluorite crystals
© Doug Merson

Fluorite crystal - click for larger pic
Fluorite crystal
© Steven Stuart

Fluorite crystal - click for larger pic
Fluorite crystal
© Steven Stuart