Fluorite is considered an industrial mineral. It is widely used in iron smelting, ceramics and night vision devices. The mineral is also used for jewelry purposes, but only the most attractive specimens.
Origin
Fluorite belongs to the group of halides, a subclass of fluorides. It is nothing more than calcium fluoride (CaF2). It is often called fluorspar.
It has a magmatic nature, it is considered a minor mineral in the rocks that are formed after the cooling of the mass erupted from the volcano. Fluorite is often a consequence of the movement of fluorine-saturated solutions from the bowels. Passing through cracks in the rocks, they form a crystallized mineral.
Fluorite can be seen in hydrothermal veins. It also forms clusters in limestones and dolomites. It occurs both in pure form and in compounds with various metal ores, in particular lead-zinc. A number of granite and pegmatite varieties contain small amounts of fluorite. It is from them that its optical crystals are mined.
Fluorite can also be combined with many minerals, including barite, calcite, celestine, cassiterite, dolomite, galena, quartz, and sphalerite.
Spread
There is a lot of fluorite in nature. In terms of its production, three states dominate the world - Mongolia, Mexico and China. Also, fluorite deposits of considerable volume are located in Germany, Switzerland and Italy, the USA, and Sweden.
There are also deposits of this mineral in Russia. They are located in Primorye and the Chita region. Only the fluorite reserves there are very modest.
Properties
Fluorite is characterized by different colors. The most common are blue, purple, green or yellow, rarely pink, black, red or even colorless specimens. Certain varieties of this stone are banded. They can also have a zonal coloration.
Each fluorite molecule consists of a metallic calcium atom and two fluorine atoms. The basic crystal structure of this stone is cubic. The outer shape is also usually cubic, although dodecahedrons and octahedrons are found. Crystals are often twinned.
Fluorite is a very soft mineral. On the Mohs scale of hardness, it has only 4 points. It can be easily scratched with a kitchen knife blade. The mineral is extremely responsive to heat and cracks easily over an open fire. At 1360 ° C, it begins to melt.
Fluorite is characterized by strong fluorescence; in the light of ultraviolet radiation, it acquires a different color. However, this property varies greatly depending on the type of impurity elements in the sample.
The name of the stone comes from the Latin word fluere, which means "to flow." It is due to the ability to lower the temperature of the melts to which it is added. The range of industrial applications of fluorite is very wide. However, it is primarily used in the production of hydrofluoric acid.
The use of fluorite in jewelry is limited due to its properties: it is soft and easily scratched. Jewelers usually cabochon it and apply a protective layer of harder quartz.
