Name/Title
FluoriteEntry/Object ID
2009.62.65Description
Chemical Composition: CaF2
Crystal System: Orthorhombic System
Description: Common Name: Fluorite
Chemistry: CaF2, Calcium Fluoride
Group: Halides
Location: Harden County, Illinois
Description: Large mass of small cubic crystals light translucent green in color, on a blackish, gray matrix.
THE PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF FLUORITE:
Color is extremely variable and many times can be an intense purple, blue, green or yellow; also colorless, reddish orange, pink, white and brown. A single crystal can be multi-colored.
Luster is vitreous.
Transparency: Crystals are transparent to translucent.
Crystal System: Isometric; 4/m bar 3 2/m
Crystal Habits include the typical cube and to a lesser extent, the octahedron as well as combinations of these two and other rarer isometric habits. Always with equant crystals; less common are crusts and botryoidal forms. Twinning also produces penetration twins that look like two cubes grown together.
Cleavage is perfect in 4 directions forming octahedrons.
Fracture is irregular and brittle.
Hardness is 4
Specific Gravity is 3.1+ (average)
Streak is white.
Other Characteristics: Often fluorescent blue or more rarely green, white, red or violet and may be thermoluminescent, phosphorescent and triboluminescent.
Associated Minerals are many and include calcite, quartz, willemite, barite, witherite, apatite, chalcopyrite, galena, sphalerite, pyrite and other sulfides.
Best Field Indicators are crystal habit, color zoning, hardness (harder than calcite, but softer than quartz or apatite), fluorescence and especially the octahedral cleavage.
Fracture: conchoidal
Hardness: 3 Calcite
Luster: Vitreous
Occurrence: Fluorite may occur as a vein deposit, especially with metallic minerals, where it often forms a part of the gangue (the surrounding "host-rock" in which valuable minerals occur) and may be associated with galena, sphalerite, barite, quartz, and calcite. It is a common mineral in deposits of hydrothermal origin and has been noted as a primary mineral in granites and other igneous rocks and as a common minor constituent of dolostone and limestone.
Rock Type: Sedimentary
Specific Gravity: 2.2
Streak: white
Texture: Crystalline
Variety: Fluorite is a widely occurring mineral which is found in large deposits in many areas. It also comes in a rainbow of colors and is refer to as the most colorful mineral in the world.Collection
RAGM Mineral CollectionAcquisition
Accession
2009.62Source or Donor
Museum Collection of MineralsAcquisition Method
DonationDimensions
Height
2 inWidth
2-3/4 inLength
6-1/2 inWeight
21.58 ozDimension Notes
Dimension taken at widest pointsLocation
Location
Display Case
DS-8Room
Delmar Smith HallBuilding
Crater Rock MuseumCategory
PermanentMoved By
Curtis GardnerDate
May 24, 2023Notes
Added current locationLocation
Container
CenterDrawer
3rd ShelfShelf
Center, CenterWall
South wallRoom
Delmar Smith HallBuilding
Crater Rock MuseumCategory
PermanentMoved By
Steve MillerDate
January 14, 2010Location
Container
RightCabinet
Case #39Wall
WestRoom
Delmar Smith HallBuilding
Crater Rock MuseumCategory
PermanentContainer
CenterDrawer
3rd ShelfShelf
Center, Center