Apatite Facts
Apatite Facts
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Interesting Apatite Facts: |
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Apatite forms under a wide variety of conditions and is most often found in sedimentary, metamorphic, and igneous rocks. |
The most important apatite deposits are found in sedimentary rocks formed in marine and lacustrine environments. |
Apatite on occasion is discovered as well-formed hexagonal crystals in pegmatite pockets and in hydrothermal veins. |
Mineral collectors really like to discover these well-formed crystals and the price paid for them exceeds their value. |
As a gemstone, apatite is more popular with gem collectors than it is with jewelers. |
Because of the brittle nature of apatite, it is most often too fragile for use in most types of jewelry. |
Apatite is one of the few minerals produced and used by biological micro-environmental systems. |
Hydroxylapatite is the major component in both bone mineral and in tooth enamel. |
There is a rare form of apatite which contains many carbonate and acid phosphate substitutions named bone material. |
Fission tracks in apatite are often used to establish the thermal history of orogenic belts and sedimentary basins. |
The most common use of apatite is in the manufacturing of fertilizer because it is such a prominent source of phosphorus. |
When apatite is mixed with sulfuric acid, phosphoric acid is produced. When a fluorapatite content is then added the outcome is hydrofluoric acid. |
In the United States, fertilizers that contain apatite are used to supplement the nutrition of many agricultural crops by providing the much needed mineral phosphate. |
Apatite is also a host material for the storage of nuclear waste. |
If the crystals of rutile have grown in the crystal of apatite and viewed in the correct light source, a cat's eye effect is displayed. |
Apatite now and then is found to contain large amounts of rare-earth elements and can be used as an ore for some metals. Because this apatite is non-radioactive, it does not pose an environmental hazard. |
Moon rocks collected by during the Apollo program were found to contain traces of apatite. |
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