where is the fluorite commonly found?
Fluorite is a widely occurring mineral which is found in large deposits in many areas. Notable deposits occur in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, England, Norway, Mexico, and Ontario in Canada. In the United States deposits are found in Missouri, Oklahoma, Illinois, Kentucky, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Ohio, New Hampshire, New York, and Texas. Illinois has historically been the largest producer of fluorite in the United States, however, the last of the mines closed in 1995.[1] The Illinois general assembly passed a resolution in 1965 declaring Fluorite as the official state mineral.
Occurrence: Fluorite is a common mineral and is widely distributed. The most common occurrence of fluorite is as vein deposits, usually associated with lead and silver ores and with quartz, calcite, dolomite, and barite. It is found in cavities in sedimentary rocks, such as dolomite and limestone, where it is frequently associated with celesite, anhydrite, gypsum, dolomite, sulfur, and millerite. Fluorite is occurs in pneumatolytic deposits in greisens carrying cassiterite where fluorite may be associated with topaz, tourmaline, lepidolite, apatite, and quartz. At Wagon Wheel Gap, Colorado, fluorite is a major constituent of hot spring deposits. It is also found in miarolytic cavities in alpine environments and in pegmatites (rarely). It has been suggested that the light-colored octahedral crystals indicate high temperature of formation. Darker cubic crystals are thought to have formed in lower temperature environments. Dodecahedrons form at intermediate conditions. In the United States, significant fluorite deposits are found in southern Illinois (Rosclare and Cave-In-Rock). Optical grade fluorite was mined in Mercer and Woodford counties of central Kentucky. It is found in Cathage in Smith County, Tennessee. In pegmatites it is found at Amelia, Virginia and on Mount Antero, Colorado. It is found as clear cubes with celestite near Clay Center, Ohio. Some of the most famous fluorite locations are in English and include Cumberland, Derbyshire (blue john, a light blue fibrous ornamental variety), and Cornwall.
Fluorite is commonly found as hydrothermal deposits or in hypabyssal igneous intrusions.
