Physical Properties of Fluorite for Identification and Classification Purposes.
This site contains information on the Physical Properties and Chemical Composition of Minerals, gemstones, crystals, precious metals, and sedimentary, igneous and metamorphic rocks for crystallography, geology, identification of minerals, Jewelry and mineralogy. This includes cleavage, description of crystal formations, crystal structure, hardness, specific gravity, Mohs’ Scale, crystal features and crystal habits for identification and classification purposes.
The name Fluorite is derived from the Latin word for flow and applies to a set of minerals in the Halide group. It is a highly useful mineral in industry for use as flux in metal processing because of the chemicals found in its composition. It is also valuable to mineral collectors for its symmetry and color. It is not very widely used as a gemstone because of its softness. Because of its softness, however, it is used for intricate carvings. Clear stones are valuable for use in optics.
Nasty
Ingredients
Some
of the elements in Fluorite’s composition can be toxic as well as some
of the products of reactions between Fluorite and other compounds or
processes. The element Fluorine is poisonous and one of the most active
elements in nature. Also found within Fluorite, Hydrofluoric acid is
powerful enough to dissolve quartz or etch glass. When contact happens
between Fluorite and Sulfuric acid, deadly HF gas escapes the mixture.
Unfortunately, HF gas is a bi-product of some plants involved in
industrial and nuclear operations in the US and has contaminated many
areas around the plants.
Color
Fluorite
is a mineral famous for its many colors caused primarily by impurities of
hydrocarbons within the composition. Fluorite occurs in clear, pink,
orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, in multiple intensities of each of
those colors and is often called the most colorful of all the minerals.
Within the stones, most of the pigment is uniform but significant finds
have emerged of Fluorite with multiple colors. Finally, some specimens of
Fluorite also have fluorescent qualities from rare elements, unbonded
Fluorine or organic matter within the crystal. In fact, the adjective
fluorescent is derived from the word Fluorite. Red and Green Fluorite will
become phosphorescent at temperatures greater than the boiling point of
water.
Crystal
Fluorite
crystals are typically cubic but has several other crystal habits from
octohedron, which appears as two pyramid forms connected perfectly at the
base to the 24 triangle-faced tetrahexahedral form But regardless
of the complexity, the crystal forms are always isometric. At times, zones
of color variation can occur within the crystal but are always formed
along perfect lines of crystal; finding a perfect pink crystal cube
appearing to float within another perfect clear crystal cube is entirely
possible. Fluorite cleaves long four identical and perfect directions and
is easily turned into the perfect octahedrons described above. Though
considered worthless to serious collectors, the cleaved octahedrons are
very popular among novices for their color and symmetry.
Mineral
Varieties
Links