Fluorite Introduction:

Fluorite, also known as fluorspar is a mineral form of calcium fluoride, CaF2 that is available naturally in all colors of spectrum. It is the mineral form of calcium fluorite which belongs to the halide minerals. Pure Fluorite( CaF2) contains 51.1% calcium and 48.9% fluorine, but the mineral rarely approaches this composition. Impurities such as silicon, aluminum and magnesium are commonly present in the inclusions and give the mineral a variety of colors. Natural pure fluorite is colorless and transparent, but in general, natural fluorite exhibits various colors such as yellow, green, pink, blue, purple, and sometimes black, due to different color centers or impurities. The variations in the color are caused by impurities.

The major reserves for fluorite is found in China which accounts for around 24 million tons in inner Mongolia, Jiangxi, Hunan, Zhejiang and Fujian provinces. These reserves make about 80% of the national total of fluorite reserves. As China has introduced many measures to protect the fluorite reserves, the output for fluoride has remained steady.

Fuorspar – Principal Uses

Fluorite is known to be one of the famous fluorescent minerals. The word fluorescent has arrived from fluorite mineral. The major reserves for fluorite is found in China which accounts for around 24 million tons in inner Jiangxi, Mongolia, Hunan, Zhejiang and Fujian provinces. These reserves make about 80% of the national total of fluorite reserves. As China has introduced many measures to protect the fluorite reserves, the output for fluoride has remained steady.

Fluorspar is recognised as a strategic mineral by the United States of America and the European Union and is mined for the production of calcium fluoride (CaF2). It is by far the most important fluorine-bearing mineral phase in the Earth’s crust, which has been declared one of the critical minerals by the EU with fluorine being indispensable in most of its applications.