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Formula: Ba5(PO4)3F
Anhydrous phosphate, apatite group,
apatite supergroup,
barium-baring mineral
Crystal System: Hexagonal
Specific gravity: 4.57 calculatrd
Hardness: 4 to 4½
Streak: White
Colour: Colourless
Environments
Fluoralforsite is a new mineral, approved in 2022 and to date (February 2022) reported only
from the Hartrurim Basin.
Localities
At the type locality, the Hatrurim Basin, Tamar Regional Council, Southern District, Israel, fluoralforsite
was discovered in rankinite
paralava filling cracks in pyrometamorphic
gehlenite hornfels near
the tributary of Wadi Zohar and Gurim Anticline. Fluoralforsite occurs in small intergranular spaces between
large gehlenite and garnet
crystals and in enclaves inside large rankinite crystals with other
barium minerals such as
walstromite, zadovite,
bennesherite, gurimite,
mazorite, barioferrite and
baryte. It forms tiny transparent, colourless crystals up to 50 μm in size
with a white streak and a vitreous lustre.
Fluoralforsite was formed at the final stage of crystallisation as a result of a reaction between the
primary mineral assemblages and residual melt
(MM 87.6.866-877).
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