EVSC 2800 Chapter Notes - Chapter 1: Toothpaste, Fluorine
12 May 2016
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Document Summary
Distinguishing features: it is the only common mineral that has four directions of perfect cleavage and it often breaks into pieces with the shape of an octahedron. Its specific gravity is 3. 2 which is significantly higher than most other minerals. The characteristic purple, green, and yellow translucent or transparent appearance of fluorite is almost an immediate giveaway for identifying the mineral. Way(s) in which mineral forms: most fluorite forms as vein fillings in rocks that have been subjected to hydrothermal activity. Fluorite is also formed in the fractures and vugs of some limestones and dolomites. Where the largest deposits of the mineral are found and how they are mined: deposits of minable fluorite exist in the united states but nearly all of the fluorite consumed in the united states is imported. Mongolia, and south africa were the primary countries that supplied fluorite to the united states in 2011.
