Fluorite

specimen number:
8311069

location:
Elmwood Mine, Smith Co., Tennessee, USA

description:
A beautiful loose gemmy fluorite exhibiting natural dissolution. These are classic things from this locality, this one is in excellent condition all around and even the bottom tip is very good condition, contrary to most of these.

Dissolution of fluorite at the Elmwood Mine in Tennessee is thought to occur when later mineral rich groundwater circulates through the deposit and partially dissolves earlier formed fluorite crystals. Changes in temperature, pressure, or the chemical composition of the fluids can make fluorite unstable, causing edges and surfaces of the crystals to slowly dissolve. This process can produce etched faces, rounded forms, or hollowed areas on the crystals. Such dissolution features record changes in the hydrothermal fluids that moved through the ore body after the fluorite originally formed.

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