What mineral group does apatite belong to?

Apatite is a group of phosphate minerals, usually referring to hydroxyapatite, fluorapatite and chlorapatite, with high concentrations of OH−, F− and Cl− ions, respectively, in the crystal.

What is apatite formula?

General Apatite Information Chemical Formula: Ca5(PO4)3(OH,F,Cl)

Is apatite a unknown mineral?

Apatite is not actually a specific mineral, but rather, is a name for a group of similar isomorphous hexagonal phosphate minerals. …

What is the hardness of apatite?

5
If not for its softness (Mohs hardness 5, compared with the 7 to 9 of most gems), apatite would be a popular gemstone; much of the material found is clear, but it is fragile and difficult to cut and polish.

Is apatite a silicate mineral?

The crystal structure of non-silicate minerals (see table) does not contain silica-oxygen tetrahedra. Many non-silicate minerals are economically important and provide metallic resources such as copper, lead, and iron….3.5: Non-Silicate Minerals.

What product that contains apatite?

phosphate fertilizers
Apatite is the main source of phosphorous, an important nutrient required by plants. As such, apatite is the key ingredient in phosphate fertilizers. Most of the phosphorus used in fertilizer comes from phosphate rock, which is mined almost exclusively for this application.

What is apatite mineral?

Apatite refers to a group of phosphate minerals which includes fluorapatite, chlorapatite, hydroxylapatite, carbonate-rich apatite, and francolite, the most common of which is fluorapatite. The word apatite is derived from the Greek word for deceit, “apate” because apatite can be mistaken for many other minerals.

How do you identify apatite?

Apatite is best known for its use as an index mineral with a hardness of 5 in the Mohs Hardness Scale. It is usually green in color, but can be yellow, brown, blue, purple, pink, or colorless. These colors are often so vivid that apatite has frequently been cut as a gemstone. Apatite is a brittle material.

What kind of stone is apatite?

Apatite is “any group of calcium phosphate minerals occurring variously as hexagonal crystals, as granular masseor in fine-grained masses as the chief constituent of phosphate rock and of bones and teeth; especially: calcium phosphate fluoride,” according to Merriam-Webster’s dictionary.

What products that contain the mineral corundum?

Transparent specimens are used as gems such as sapphires and rubies. Rubies are red due to traces of chromium in the corundum. All other colors of transparent corundum are called sapphires. Deep blue sapphires are blue due to the presence of titanium and iron.

What products that contain the mineral of apatite example?

Apatite is the main source of phosphorous, an important nutrient required by plants. As such, apatite is the key ingredient in phosphate fertilizers. Most of the phosphorus used in fertilizer comes from phosphate rock, which is mined almost exclusively for this application.

Where did the mineral cinnabar get its name?

It is named after Myrick Spring, San Bernardino Co., California. Cinnabar is the most common mercury mineral and is the chief ore of that metal. It is mined extensively for the production of mercury. Aesthetic crystals of Cinnabar, especially those from China, are very popular among mineral collectors.

Which is the most important element in cinnabar?

The Mineral cinnabar. Cinnabar is the chief mineral composed of the element mercury, and is a very important ore mineral.

What is the hardness and specific gravity of cinnabar?

The hardness of cinnabar is 2.0–2.5 on the Mohs scale, and its specific gravity 8.1. Structurally, cinnabar belongs to the trigonal crystal system. It occurs as thick tabular or slender prismatic crystals or as granular to massive incrustations. Crystal twinning occurs as simple contact twins.

What kind of properties do cinnabar crystals have?

Cinnabar crystals are birefringent, though transparent crystals are often too small or embedded in a matrix for this property to be properly observed. Color, heaviness, and low hardness. In volcanic, mercury-rich deposits usually associated with hot spring s.