File:Apatite (Ontario, Canada) 1.jpg

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English: Apatite from Ontario, Canada - top view of a moderately large hexagonal crystal. (4.0 centimeters across at its widest)

A mineral is a naturally-occurring, solid, inorganic, crystalline substance having a fairly definite chemical composition and having fairly definite physical properties. At its simplest, a mineral is a naturally-occurring solid chemical. Currently, there are over 6000 named and described minerals - about 200 of them are common and about 20 of them are very common. Mineral classification is based on anion chemistry. Major categories of minerals are: elements, sulfides, oxides, halides, carbonates, sulfates, phosphates, and silicates.

The phosphate minerals have one or more phosphate anions (PO4-3).

Apatite is the most common & important phosphate mineral. Apatite is actually a group of specific minerals that vary in chemistry. At its simplest, apatite is calcium phosphate, but it has often has other elements thrown in ("garbage can mineral"). The general formula given for apatite is often Ca5(PO4)3(F,Cl,OH) - calcium fluoro-chloro-hydroxyphosphate. Lead, yttrium, manganese, strontium, and other elements can partially substitute in the calcium position. Sulfate, arsenate, vanadate, silicate, and carbonate can partially substitute in the phosphate position. Apatites with F are the fluorapatites. Apatites with Cl are the chlorapatites. Apatites with OH are the hydroxylapatites.

Apatite has a nonmetallic luster, can be any color (mottled greens, yellows, and browns are common), has a white streak, is moderately hard (H≡5), and has hexagonal crystals. Apatite occurs in many igneous rocks, typically granites, pegmatites, and hydrothermal veins. Calcium phosphate is also common in some sedimentary rocks, especially phosphorites, high-phosphate limestones, and bone beds. Apatites are the main components in vertebrate bone and teeth (specifically chlorapatites and hydroxylapatites - they easily convert to fluorapatite upon fossilization/diagenesis).


Photo gallery of apatite:

www.mindat.org/gallery.php?min=29229
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Source https://www.flickr.com/photos/47445767@N05/31428643433/
Author James St. John

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This image was originally posted to Flickr by James St. John at https://flickr.com/photos/47445767@N05/31428643433. It was reviewed on 26 March 2024 by FlickreviewR 2 and was confirmed to be licensed under the terms of the cc-by-2.0.

26 March 2024

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current16:15, 26 March 2024Thumbnail for version as of 16:15, 26 March 20241,222 × 1,133 (2.16 MB)Ser Amantio di Nicolao (talk | contribs)Uploaded a work by James St. John from https://www.flickr.com/photos/47445767@N05/31428643433/ with UploadWizard

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