Earth and Environment Atlas

How The Planet Works
Sign In
Text size
100%
Theme
Material

Apatite

AP-uh-tyte
Phosphate Minerals

A group of phosphate minerals, usually hydroxyapatite, fluorapatite and chlorapatite, distinguished by high concentrations of hydroxide, fluoride or chloride ions in the crystal. It is the defining mineral for value 5 on the Mohs hardness scale, and its hydroxyapatite endmember is the main mineral of tooth enamel and bone. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

Facts
Kind
Mineral 1
Formation Class
Phosphate mineral, a common accessory mineral across igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary rocks and the principal structural mineral of vertebrate bone and tooth enamel. 1
Chemical Formula
Ca10(PO4)6(OH,F,Cl)2 (admixture of the three most common endmembers) 1
Hardness (Mohs)
5 1
Classification
Crystal System
Hexagonal 1
Classification
Phosphate Mineral 1
Use
Soil Amendment or Fertilizer 1
Connections

Associated With

Apatite is the defining mineral for 5 on the Mohs scale.

Source Apatite (Wikipedia)
Pegmatite, Materials

Apatite named among the characteristic minerals of complex (rare-element) pegmatites.

Source Pegmatite (Wikipedia)

Classified As

Entity-backed identity for the material classification this material already carries as an enum fact, pointing at the class subcategory of the same name. The enum fact itself stays on the entity unchanged.

Crystallizes In System

Entity-backed identity for the crystal-system enum value this material already carries, resolved to an earth concept by an explicit value-to-entity map (phase 3 bucket conversion, docs\design_entity_backed_browse_buckets_20260928.md). The crystal-system fact itself stays on the material unchanged.

In Discipline

Apatite is a standard mineral used in fission-track and (U-Th)/He geochronology dating methods, beyond the automatic in-discipline->Mineralogy edge.

Source Apatite (Wikipedia)
Source Apatite (Wikipedia)
Sources
1. Apatite (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia Foundation
  • Lead section and article body
    Apatite is the defining mineral for 5 on the Mohs scale.
  • Entity classification (SubLabel)
    A group of phosphate minerals, usually hydroxyapatite, fluorapatite and chlorapatite, distinguished by high concentrations of hydroxide, fluoride or chloride ions in the crystal. It is the defining mi
  • Apatite (Wikipedia), infobox
    Crystal system: Hexagonal
  • Apatite (Wikipedia), body text
    The primary use of apatite is as a source of phosphate in the manufacture of fertilizer
  • In Discipline: Geochronology, Applications section
    Fission tracks in apatite are commonly used to determine the thermal histories of orogenic belts and of sediments in sedimentary basins.
View the Source
Wikidata: Apatite
Wikidata Q178397
Quote, Wikidata Q178397
P279 subclass chain verified to reach rock (Q8063) or mineral (Q7946) within a few hops; identified via Wikipedia pageprops (article title match), PlaybookNote 38526.
Pegmatite (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationAssociated With: Pegmatite, Complex pegmatite mineralogy section
Quote, Associated With: Pegmatite, Complex pegmatite mineralogy section
These complex pegmatites contain unusual minerals of these elements, such as beryl, spodumene, lepidolite, amblygonite, topaz, apatite, fluorite, tourmaline.
View the Source
Comments (0)
No comments yet. Be the first to share a thought.
Reader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.