Blue Fluorapatite is a phosphate mineral prized by collectors for its vibrant, sometimes neon blue or teal hues. It typically forms as distinct hexagonal prisms in pegmatite pockets, though it can also be found in massive or granular habits in metamorphic environments.
Is this blue fluorapatite?
5-step field checkRun through these checks against the specimen in your hand. The more boxes tick, the more confident the ID.
- 1Test the hardnessTry to scratch blue fluorapatite with a known reference. Blue Fluorapatite sits at Mohs 5 — softer than the next harder reference, harder than the previous one.
- 2Check the streakDrag the specimen across an unglazed porcelain plate. Blue Fluorapatite leaves a white streak.
- 3Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Blue Fluorapatite typically shows a vitreous luster.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: blue, blue-green, teal.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: hexagonal. Typical habit: prismatic crystals, tabular crystals, massive.
Often confused with
Blue Fluorapatite vs. its common look-alikes — and how to tell them apart in the field.
How to tell apart: Blue Beryl is the harder of the two (Mohs 7.5-8 vs. 5).
How to tell apart: Topaz is the harder of the two (Mohs 8 vs. 5).
How to tell apart: Beryl is the harder of the two (Mohs 7.5-8 vs. 5).
Often found alongside blue fluorapatite
Minerals reported to co-occur with blue fluorapatite. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- Ca₅(PO₄)₃F
- Mohs hardness
- 5
- Density
- 3.1-3.2 g/cm³
- Colors
- Streak
- White
- Luster
- Vitreous
- Transparency
- Translucent
- Crystal system
- Hexagonal
- Crystal habit
- Prismatic Crystals, Tabular Crystals, Massive
- Cleavage
- Indistinct
- Fluorescence
- Often Fluorescent Blue or Yellow Under UV Light
- Rarity
- Uncommon
- Uses
- Collector, Specimen
- Host rock
- Pegmatites, Metamorphic Rocks, Hydrothermal Veins
- Typical price
- $10-100 for thumbnail to small cabinet specimens
Where rockhounds find blue fluorapatite
1 mapped spotsClassic worldwide localities
- Maine, USA
- Durango, Mexico
- Bavaria, Germany
- Ontario, Canada
Field-hunting tip
Look in pegmatites, metamorphic rocks, hydrothermal veins country — that is the host setting where blue fluorapatite typically forms. If you start seeing quartz, calcite, feldspar in float, you are in the right ground. Field specimens usually show a prismatic crystals, tabular crystals, massive habit, so train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop. In the U.S., the densest reported localities are in Maine — start trip planning there.
Common questions
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Find blue fluorapatite on the map
RockHoundR shows mapped rockhounding spots, access rules, and lets you log every find.
