Provenite

About Fluorite

CaF₂

Calcium fluoride that defines hardness 4 on the Mohs scale and is prized for its wide colour range, bright cubic crystals and strong zoning; fluorescence was named after it.

Show 6 localities on the map

Photos of Fluorite

Cabinet specimen with calcite-lined vugs holding zoned purple fluorite cubes, Stoneco Auglaize quarry.
Fluorite · Stoneco Auglaize Quarry (Junction, Paulding County)
Cabinet specimen with calcite-lined vugs holding zoned purple fluorite cubes, Stoneco Auglaize quarry.
Photo: Robert M. Lavinsky · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source
Light-green glassy fluorite cube on matrix from the Nikolaevskiy mine, Dalnegorsk.
Fluorite · Dalnegorsk
Light-green glassy fluorite cube on matrix from the Nikolaevskiy mine, Dalnegorsk.
Photo: Robert M. Lavinsky · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source
Small fluorite specimen from the Oatman district, Arizona.
Fluorite · Oatman Mining District (Moss Mine area)
Small fluorite specimen from the Oatman district, Arizona.
Photo: Robert M. Lavinsky · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source
Pale pink fluorite crystals on adularia matrix from the Argentière Glacier.
Fluorite · Argentière Glacier area (Mont Blanc massif, Chamonix)
Pale pink fluorite crystals on adularia matrix from the Argentière Glacier.
Photo: Robert M. Lavinsky · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source
Fluorite cubes with teal-blue phantom zoning on a purple microcrystal plate, Yaogangxian.
Fluorite · Yaogangxian Mine
Fluorite cubes with teal-blue phantom zoning on a purple microcrystal plate, Yaogangxian.
Photo: Robert M. Lavinsky · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source
Light, clear intergrown fluorite crystals with phantom lines from the Elmwood mine.
Fluorite · Elmwood Mine (Carthage, Smith County)
Light, clear intergrown fluorite crystals with phantom lines from the Elmwood mine.
Photo: Robert M. Lavinsky · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source

Where Fluorite is found (6)

China

France

Russia

United States

Fluorite on the same specimen with other minerals

Same specimen Fluorite with Chalcopyrite at Yaogangxian Mine

1 specimen photo(s) from this locality show chalcopyrite with fluorite together. The pairing comes from the photographer's file name and label, so the relationship between the two minerals is not specified.

Same specimen Fluorite with Galena at Elmwood Mine (Carthage, Smith County)

1 specimen photo(s) from this locality show galena with fluorite together. The pairing comes from the photographer's file name and label, so the relationship between the two minerals is not specified.

Same specimen Fluorite with Dolomite at Shangbao Pyrite Mine (Leiyang)

1 specimen photo(s) from this locality show dolomite with fluorite together. The pairing comes from the photographer's file name and label, so the relationship between the two minerals is not specified.

Same specimen Fluorite with Microcline at Papachacra

1 specimen photo(s) from this locality show microcline with fluorite together. The pairing comes from the photographer's file name and label, so the relationship between the two minerals is not specified.

Same specimen Fluorite with Microcline at Erongo Mountain

1 specimen photo(s) from this locality show microcline with fluorite together. The pairing comes from the photographer's file name and label, so the relationship between the two minerals is not specified.

Same specimen Fluorite with Beryl at Mt Xuebaoding (Pingwu)

1 specimen photo(s) from this locality show beryl with fluorite together. The pairing comes from the photographer's file name and label, so the relationship between the two minerals is not specified.

Same specimen Beryl with Fluorite at Chumar Bakhoor (Sumayar, Nagar)

1 specimen photo(s) from this locality show fluorite with beryl together. The pairing comes from the photographer's file name and label, so the relationship between the two minerals is not specified.

Same specimen Fluorite with Rhodochrosite at Akchatau Mine (Aqshatau)

1 specimen photo(s) from this locality show rhodochrosite with fluorite together. The pairing comes from the photographer's file name and label, so the relationship between the two minerals is not specified.

Identity

Also called
fluorspar
Strunz
3.AB.25 · 3 Halides
IMA status
Grandfathered
Name origin
From Latin 'fluere' (to flow), because the mineral was used as a flux in smelting; the older term 'fluorspar' goes back to Agricola's sixteenth-century writings.
Elements
Ca, F

Physical properties

Color
Highly variable: colorless, white, yellow, green, blue, red and purple to violet; often color-zoned
Streak
White
Luster
Vitreous luster
Transparency
Variable
Mohs hardness
4
Density
3.01–3.25 g/cm³
Cleavage / fracture
Perfect octahedral cleavage on {111}, with parting on {011}; fracture subconchoidal to uneven
Magnetism / fluorescence
Commonly fluorescent under UV light (often blue to violet, depending on impurities); thermoluminescent; UV response is not a reliable identification test

Crystallography

Crystal system
Cubic
Space group
Fm-3m
Typical habit
Cubes, often with octahedral and more complex forms; also nodular, botryoidal, granular and massive
Twinning
Common on {111}, often as interpenetrant twins
Optical data
Isotropic; refractive index about 1.433 to 1.448

Formation and use

Formation
Forms late in felsic igneous systems, mainly from hydrothermal fluids and in granitic pegmatites; fills veins in limestone together with galena, sphalerite, barite, quartz and calcite; also occurs as grains or cement in sedimentary rocks.
Uses
Metallurgical flux, ceramic and glass manufacture, source of hydrogen fluoride and hydrofluoric acid, optical components, and ornamental or lapidary material; widely collected as crystal specimens.

Sources

  1. SRC-182 · Database
    Fluorite Mineral Data (Webmineral)Barthelmy, D. · Webmineral
  2. SRC-183 · Website
    FluoriteWikipedia contributors · Wikipedia

Draft data from the Provenite workbook. Check entries against the cited sources before relying on them. Photos are open-licence images from Wikimedia Commons; the author and licence are given with each photo.