The Mineral fluorite
Studying about rocks and minerals is very interesting. There are so many of them. One most unique and popular mineral is Fluorite. It is naturally occurs in all colors of the spectrum. It is one of the most varied colored minerals in the mineral kingdom, and the colors may be very intense and almost electric. Pure Fluorite is colorless; the color variations are caused by various impurities. Some colors are deeply colored, and are especially pretty in large well-formed crystals, which fluorite often forms. Sometimes coloring is caused by hydrocarbons, which can be removed from a specimen by heating. Some dealers may apply oil treatment upon amateur Fluorite specimens to enhance luster. Fluorite has interesting deavage habits. The perfect deavage parallel to the octaheadral faces can sometimes be peeled off to smooth out a crystal into a perfect octahedron. Many crystals, especially larger ones, have their edges or sections chipped off because of the deavage. Fluorite is
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Fluorite has the capacity to increase fluidity. It reaches the melting point at 136 C. This qualities were first mentioned in 1530, by (Georgius Agricola in his work on Metals). Luster is vitreous; Transparency is crystals are transparent to translucent. Crystal system is isometric 4/m bar 3 2/m. Crystal habits includes the typical cube and to a lesser extent, the octahedron as well as combinations of these two and other rare r 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. Fluorite could be found on the northern end of Kuiu Island in southeast Alaska, (by Gary McWilliams in