Halite

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Halite
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Halite

• Chemistry NaCl, Sodium Chloride
• Also known as Rock salt
• Class Halides
• Uses Major source of salt and as mineral
  specimens.

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PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS Color is clear or
white but can be found blue, purple, pink, yellow
and gray. Luster is vitreous. Transparency
Crystals are transparent to translucent. Crystal
System is isometric 4/m bar 3 2/m Crystal
Habits are predominantly cubes and in massive
sedimentary beds, but also granular, fibrous and
compact. Some crystals show a crystal type called
a hopper crystal described above. Cleavage is
perfect in three directions forming cubes.
Fracture is conchoidal. Hardness is 2 Specific
Gravity is 2.1 (light) Streak is white.
Associated Minerals include other evaporite
deposit minerals such as several sulfates,
halides and borates. Other Characteristics
Salty taste. Notable Occurrences include Searles
Lake, California and Utah in the U.S., Germany,
and Mulhouse, France. Best Field Indicators are
taste, cleavage and crystal habit.
http//www.galleries.com/minerals/halides/halite/h
alite.htm
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Occurrence

• Evaporite deposits
• Variety of colors
• Pink presence of bacterial debris
• Blue Ionizing radiation, colloidal inclusions
  (http//www.nyrockman.com/science/monahans.htm)
• Salt Diapirs ? squeezed up from underlying salt
  beds in marine sediments (http//en.wikipedia.org/
  wiki/Halite)
• Evaporation of sea water

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Uses

• Road de-icing
• Paper
• Soap and detergent
• PVC pipe
• Pesticide
• Food additive and preservative

http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium_chlorideProdu
ction_and_use
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