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apatite
apatite A widely distributed phosphate mineral, with the formula Ca5(PO4)3(F,Cl,OH); sp. gr. 3.1–3.3; hardness 5; hexagonal; usually a shade of green or grey-green, but may also be white, brown, yellow, bluish, or red; white streak; vitreous lustre; crystals commonly hexagonal prisms, and often tabular, also occurs massive, and granular; cleavage, basal {0001}, imperfect prismatic {1010}; found as an accessory mineral in igneous rock, in pegmatites and high-temperature hydrothermal veins, and in metamorphic rocks. It is the principal constituent of fossil bones (see also COLLOPHANE). Apatite is widely used as a phosphate fertilizer, and for the production of phosphoric acid and various other chemicals.
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Cite this article
AILSA ALLABY and MICHAEL ALLABY. "apatite." A Dictionary of Earth Sciences. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. AILSA ALLABY and MICHAEL ALLABY. "apatite." A Dictionary of Earth Sciences. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O13-apatite.html AILSA ALLABY and MICHAEL ALLABY. "apatite." A Dictionary of Earth Sciences. 1999. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O13-apatite.html |
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apatite
apatite A complex mineral form of the salt calcium phosphate, Ca5(PO4)3(OH,F,Cl), that is the main constituent of the enamel of teeth.
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Cite this article
"apatite." A Dictionary of Biology. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "apatite." A Dictionary of Biology. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O6-apatite.html "apatite." A Dictionary of Biology. 2004. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O6-apatite.html |
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