Fluorapatite (Ca₅(PO₄)₃F) is the fluorine end-member of the apatite group and the most common phosphate mineral on Earth. It is also the structural parent of pyromorphite, mimetite, and vanadinite — all “apatite group” members where Pb substitutes for Ca. Collector specimens span an exceptional color range: deep purple from Panasqueira (Portugal), gem-blue from Pulpí (Spain), grass-green from Slyudyanka (Russia), and yellow from Cerro de Mercado (Mexico).
Key Facts
- Mohs hardness 5 — defines the Mohs scale point itself.
- Hexagonal prismatic crystals with pinacoidal terminations.
- Color extremely variable — purple, blue, green, yellow, pink, colorless.
- Major industrial source of phosphorus and fluorine.
- Structural parent of the lead-bearing apatite-group minerals (pyromorphite, mimetite, vanadinite).
Notable Localities
Panasqueira (Portugal) produces purple cubes, Pulpí (Spain) gem-blue. China hosts major apatite deposits in Sichuan and Yunnan, primarily industrial-grade with occasional collector material.
Found at these Localities
- Kola Peninsula Alkaline Complexes (科拉半岛碱性杂岩)
- Panasqueira (帕纳斯凯拉钨矿)
- Volyn (Volodarsk-Volynskii) (沃伦伟晶岩区)
- Mogok Stone Tract (抹谷宝石产地)
- Yunnan (云南)
- Sichuan (四川)
