Chickering Mine Apatite

Minerals of the Chickering Mine Walpole, NH APATITE-(CaF) Ca₅(PO₄)₃F Back to Chickering front page.

Specimen owner ID's (capitals): TM = Tom Mortimer, BW = Bob Wilken, BJ = Bob Janules, PC = Peter Cristofono, AW = Anna Wilken
Photographer ID's (lower case).

Identification: WDS analysis of four different Chickering Mine apatites (blue massive, lavender prismatic, milky tabular, and botryoidal) confirmed all were fluorapatite. I [tm] recognize the official Apatite-(CaF) species name has reverted to Fluorapatite. In the alphabetical order sense, most mineral collectors think of "Apatite" first, before refinement to fluorapatite or hydroxylapatite. For this reason the Apatite-(CaF) and Apatite-(CaOH) nomenclature is used here.
Discussion: APA_1: This apatite fluoresces orange in SW UV and red in LW UV.
APA_4, APA_5: TM, BJ and others collected many specimens of these lavender-colored prismatic apatites from a quartz core zone in the center of the pit during 2004.

APATITE-(CaF) Massive blue apatite. View about 10 mm across PC - 2006 Photo: APA_1 [pc]	APATITE-(CaF) 2 mm color-zoned apatite crystals. From material field collected by R. Wilken. PC Photo: APA_2 [pc]	APATITE-(CaF) 2 mm colorless crystal. PC 2004 Photo: APA_3 [pc]	APATITE-(CaF) 6 cm quartz matrix with 2.5 cm cavity filled with lavender apatites. TM Aug 1998 Photo: APA_4 [tm]
APATITE-(CaF) Zoom view of above cavity filled with lavender apatites. TM Aug 1998 Photo: APA_5 [tm]	APATITE-(CaF) 6 mm field of view. Botryodal, cream-colored apatite with clear quartz crystals. TM Aug Photo: APA_6 [tm]	APATITE-(CaF) 0.4 mm botryodal, cream-colored apatite ball on quartz. TM Aug Photo: APA_7 [tm]	APATITE-(CaF) lavender apatites BW Photo: APA_8 [bw]
APATITE-(CaF) 6 mm lavender apatite crystal BW Photo: APA_9 [bw]	APATITE-(CaF) 3.8 mm fov, stacked apatite tabular crystals BW Photo: APA_4 [bw]	APATITE-(CaF) 7 mm fov, Lavender apatite crystal with gem Elbaite-(var indicolite) tourmaline in quartz vug. TM Photo: APA_8 [tm]	APATITE-(CaF) 6 mm bi-color apatite crystal AW Photo: APA_10 [bw]
APATITE-(CaF) 4 mm fov. "Fish egg" apatite with meselite BW Photo: APA_11 [bw]	APATITE-(CaF) 3.5 fov. Color zoned apatite crystals BW Photo: APA_12 [bw]	APATITE-(CaF) Tabular, milky, apatite crystals to 0.6 mm TM Photo: APA_13 [tm]	APATITE-(CaF) 8 mm pink apatite crystal BW Photo: APA_14 [bw]
APATITE-(CaF) Largest apatite crystal 6 mm BJ Photo: APA_15 [bj]	APATITE-(CaF) 4 mm field of view. pair of white botryoidal balls. TM Photo: APA_16 [tm]	APATITE-(CaF) 1 mm white apatite ball TM Photo: APA_17 [tm]	APATITE-(CaF) 2.8 mm pale lavender crystal BW Photo: APA_19 [bw]
APATITE-(CaF) 1.7 mm crystal mm BW Photo: APA_18 [bw]	APATITE-(CaF) 2.3 cm specimen with massive blue-green apatite in center. (Voucher specimen) TM Photo: APA_20 [tm]