Fluorite octahedrons are naturally occurring or cleaved specimens of fluorite (CaF₂) shaped along the mineral’s natural cleavage planes. Fluorite commonly breaks into octahedral forms due to its perfect octahedral cleavage in four directions.
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Composition: Calcium fluoride (CaF₂), a halide mineral.
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Appearance: Transparent to translucent with a wide range of colors, including purple, green, blue, yellow, and clear, due to various impurities or radiation exposure.
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Structure: Crystallizes in the cubic system, but cleaves naturally into octahedrons—a regular eight-faced shape.
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Formation: Typically forms in hydrothermal veins, especially with lead and silver ores, or in sedimentary environments with low-temperature solutions.
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Physical Properties: Relatively soft (Mohs hardness 4) with perfect octahedral cleavage, making it ideal for demonstrating crystal geometry.
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Educational Value: Useful for teaching crystallography, mineral properties, and cleavage patterns in minerals.
Fluorite octahedrons offer a hands-on way to explore geometric symmetry and mineral formation processes.
