Halides: most abundant: halite, fluorite, sylvite

• commonly form as evaporites - except fluorite
  - fluorite forms from crystallization of hydrothermal solutions in veins
  - F is large - doesn't fit in mineral structures very well => late stage crystallization

• 2 common structures (click on images for larger versions):

  XZ type (halite-like): all ions in 6CN
  XZ2 type (fluorite-like): cations in 8CN, anions in 4CN

  ---

  http://classes.colgate.edu/rapril/geol201/ Questions to: rapril@mail.colgate.edu Copyright 1997 © Colgate University.

  Mineralogy Home page