Fluorite

Fluorite is found as a common gangue mineral in hydrothermal veins, especially those containing lead and zinc minerals. It is also found in some greisens, granites, pegmatites and high-temperature veins, and as a component of some marbles and other metamorphic rocks.

Name

Named in 1797 by Carlo Antonio Galeani Napione from the Latin, fluere = "to flow" (for its use as a flux). The term fluorescence is derived from fluorite, which will often markedly exhibit this effect. The element fluorine also derives its name from fluorite, a major source of the element.

Physical Properties

Lustre: Vitreous, Dull
Transparency: Transparent
Colour: Purple, lilac, golden-yellow, green, colourless, blue, pink, champagne, brown.
Streak: White
Hardness: 4 on Mohs scale
Tenacity: Brittle
Cleavage: Perfect *Perfect on {111}, very easy
Parting: Indistinct parting or cleavage on {011} at times
Fracture: Splintery, Sub-Conchoidal
Density: 3.175 - 3.56 g/cm3 (Measured) 3.181 g/cm3 (Calculated)

Chemical Properties

Formula: CaF2
Elements listed: Ca, F
Common Impurities: Y,Ce,Si,Al,Fe,Mg,Eu,Sm,O,ORG,Cl,TR

Age Distribution

Recorded ages: Phanerozoic : 321 ± 22 Ma to 20.8 Ma - based on 5 recorded ages 

Crystallography

Crystal System: Isometric
Class (H–M): m3m (4/m 3 2/m) - Hexoctahedral
Space Group: Fm3m

Synonyms

Androdamant, Bruiachite, Cand, Chrome-Fluorite, Crimson Night Stone, Derbyshire Spar, Flourite, Fluate of Lime, Fluor, Fluorbaryte, Fluores, Fluoride of Calcium, Fluorspar, Fluor Spar, Flusse, Kand, Liparite (of Glocker), Lithophosphorus Suhlensis, Murrhina, and Tanzanite fluorite

Varieties

Blue John, Cerfluorite, Chlorophane, False Amethyst, Ratovkite, Stink-Fluss, Strontian Fluorite, Tiffany stone, Yttrocerite, and Yttrofluorite