Mineralpedia Details for Fluorapatite
Fluorapatite
Named for the dominance of fluorine in the composition and as a member of the apatite group. Fluorapatite is a common mineral that can be found as fine crystals in Germany, Austria, Portugal, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Brazil, Mexico, the United States, Canada, Russia, South Africa, and Australia. It is the most common rock-forming phosphate mineral and is an accessory in most igneous rocks. It can be found in syenites, alkaline rocks, carbonatites, granite pegmatites, marbles, skarn, metamorphic rocks, Alpine-type fissures, hydrothermal tin veins, sedimentary phosphorites, as a detrital or diagenetic mineral in oolitic ironstones and carbonate rocks and shales, and in residual amounts in laterites. Typically found as light to deep purple, hexagonal, prismatic crystals. Uncommonly with pyramidal terminations. Colors, size of crystal, and crystal habits are usually different for each geological environment in which apatite occurs. Fluorapatite can be cathodoluminescent, phosphorescent, or fluorescent under ultraviolet light.
Ref. Handbook of Mineralogy, Anthony et al (1995) and MSA at http://www.handbookofmineralogy.org/pdfs/fluorapatite.pdf
- Formula
- Ca5(PO4)3F
- Crystal System
- Hexagonal
- Crystal Habit
- Massive - Granular, Euhedral Crystals
- Cleavage
- Indistinct, None, None
- Luster
- Vitreous - Resinous
- Color
- blue, brown, colorless, violet, green
- Streak
- white
- Class
- Hexagonal - Dipyramidal
- Fracture
- Brittle - Conchoidal
- Hardness
- 5
- WebMineral
- View Fluorapatite
- Mindat
- View Fluorapatite
Fluorapatite from King Lithia mine, Pennington Co., South Dakota, United States
- Special Info
- Pegmatite
Purple 1cm hexagonal crystal.
Light purple, prismatic crystal to 8mm. Also Blue hexagonal crystals to 1mm with white zoned core unique to the King Lithia mine.
Fluorapatite from Levant mine, St. Just dist., Cornwall, England
- Special Info
- Hydrothermal
Root-beer colored short prismatic, hexagonal crystals of Fluorapatite to 2-3mm.
Fluorapatite from Golconda pegmatite, Governador Valadares, Doce valley, Minas Gerais, Brazil
- Special Info
- Pegmatite
Light purple hexagonal crystals to 5mm on Elbaite Tourmaline encrusted over with very micro crystals of Bertrandite and Todorokite.
Hexagonal crystals of Fluorapatite to 4mm associated with water clear Bertrandite.
Fluorapatite from Cerro de Mercado mine, Durango, Mexico
2 cm yellow hexagonal crystal with pyramidal termination.
Fluorapatite from Chumar Bakhoor, Nagar, Northern Areas, Pakistan
- Special Info
- Pegmatite
Highly lustrous and gemmy cluster of Fluorapatite crystals with the largest up to 1.5cm. These are extraordinarily large apatite crystals with an uncommon pink color. All the crystals are perfect hexagonal prisms and each is doubly terminated. Also a large dark pink, gemmy, terminated crystal with 5 of the 6 sides showing anywhere from 3.5cm to 5mm along the prism faces.
A HUGE dark pink, gemmy, terminated crystal with 5 of the 6 sides showing anywhere from 3.5cm to 5mm along the prism faces.
Fluorapatite from Paroon, Dara-i-Pech, Kunar Province, Afghanistan
- Special Info
- Pegmatite
Purple short, hexagonal crystals to 5mm.
Fluorapatite from Mount Apatite, Androscoggin Co., Maine, United States
- Special Info
- Pegmatite
4mm purple hexagonal crystal.
Fluorapatite from Panasqueira, Covilha, Castelo Branco dist., Portugal
- Special Info
- Hydrothermal Sn-W deposit
Faint bluish grey, large 1cm, well-formed and lustrous Fluorapatite crystals. In the group there are four crystals all on brownish red crystals of Muscovite and large, gorgeous and gemmy green Fluorapatite crystals to 1.8cm
Fluorapatite from Dan Patch mine, Keystone, Pennington Co., South Dakota, United States
- Special Info
- Pegmatite
Cluster of light puple Fluorapatite crystals, 2cm.
Fluorapatite from Greenwood, Oxford Co., Maine, United States
- Special Info
- Phillips Collection
An old Neal Yedlin specimen (see tag in provenance) with 4-5mm purple Fluorapatite crystals.
Fluorapatite from Sapo mine, Conselheiro Pena, Doce Valley, Minas Gerais, Brazil
Interesting long hexagonal crystals grown end on end.
Fluorapatite from Siglo Veinte mine, Llallagua, Bolivia
A thick colorless Fluorapatite crystal with minor Pyrite on the backside contact.
Fluorapatite from Renfrew Co., Ontario, Canada
A large reddish brown Fluorapatite crystal to 8cm on matrix. An older specimen probably from Paul Moore with his label matching the specimen.
Fluorapatite from Harvard quarry, Greenwood, Oxford Co., Maine, United States
3-4mm purple prismatic Fluorapatite crystals on Cookeite matrix from this classic locality.
Fluorapatite from Medina pegmatite field, Pedra Azul dist., Minas Gerais, Brazil
Amazingly water clear Fluorapatite with complex terminations. The largest crystal is 1.8cm. There are several other crystals and most carry a light golden brown color.
Fluorapatite from Dara-e-Pech, Chapa Dara dist., Kunar Province, Afghanistan
Light purple very nice short prismatic crystals to 4mm covering several faces of the matrix.
Fluorapatite from Black Mountain pegmatite, Rumford, Oxford Co., Maine, United States
Large specimen sawed on one side featuring dark green skeletal apatite in Albite. The first and second photos show the reflections of divergent cleavelandite crystals.
