Mineral 1.0: Halite

Mineral 1.0

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Halite  (Salt)NaCl

Class: Halide
Hardness: 2
Density: 2.1 - 2.2
Streak: White
Lustre: Waxy
Habit: Crystalline (cubic)
Colours: Colourless or white if pure, any colour if not
   Crystal System: Isometric
Cleavage: Cubic
Fracture: Conchoidal
Magnetism: None
Reaction with HCl: None
Identification in hand sample:
Has a salty taste. Cubic cleavage and hardness are indicative for the less brave geologists.
Associations:
Abundant in marine evaporite deposits and may form beds hundreds to over a thousand meters thick. Associated minerals include calcite, dolomite, gypsum, anhydrite and sylvite.



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