Fluorite

What is fluorite? Calcium flouride (CaF₂) Flourite belongs to the halite class of minerals. It has a hardness of 4 and a specific gravity of 3.0.3.2.

photo by Jim L. Moore of TN Division of Geology

Where is flourite found geographically?

When was it deposited? Flourite precipitates from solution in veins in existing rock. In middle Tennessee it is often found in alternating layers with barite.

Quaternary

Tertiary

Cretaceous

Jurassic

Triassic

Permian

Pennsylvanian

Mississippian

Devonian

Silurian

Ordovician

Cambrian

Proterozoic

How is fluorite used? Fluorite is used as a flux in steelmaking. This means that it is added because it binds with waste materials, allowing the iron to be isolated.

History of fluorite use in Tennessee Fluorite has been mined in only three locations: Putnam County 1905-1941; Smith County 1890's - 1943; and Wilson County - through late 1950's (check this)