Aug 15 2013
Halite is the mineral form of sodium chloride. It was named after the Greek word “halos”, meaning salt and “lithos”, meaning rock.
Properties of Halite
The following are the key properties of Halite:
- Cell Data
- Space Group: Fm3m
- a = 5.6404(1)
- Z = 4.
- Crystal Data
- Cubic
- Point Group: 4/m32/m
- Crystals cubic, to 1 m, or octahedral; elongated along [100] or [111], skeletal with hopper-shaped faces. Rarely capillary or stalactitic; granular, compact, massive
- X-ray Powder Pattern: 2.821 (100), 1.994 (55), 1.628 (15), 3.258 (13), 1.261 (11), 1.1515 (7), 1.410 (6).
- Chemical Composition
| Elements |
Content 1 |
Content 2 |
| Cl |
60.27 |
60.66 |
| Na |
39.00 |
39.34 |
| SO4 |
0.27 |
- |
| K |
0.12 |
- |
| Ca |
0.08 |
- |
| Mg |
0.03 |
- |
| Total |
99.77 |
100.00 |
- Optical Properties
- Optical Class: Isotropic; weakly anisotropic due to stress.
- Dispersion: Moderately strong.
- n = 1.5443.
- Estimated Properties
| Electron density |
Bulk density (electron density) = 2.07 g/cm3
note: Specific gravity of Halite = 2.16 g/cm3 |
| Photoelectric |
PEHalite = 4.63 barns/electron
U = PEHalite x ρElectron density = 9.59 barns/cm3 |
| Fermion index |
Fermion index = 0
Boson index = 1 |
| Radioactivity |
Halite is not radioactive. |
How to Identify Halite
Halite can be identified in different colors ranging from white to pink, dark blue and light blue. It is transparent, fluorescent and non-magnetic in nature. Its fractures are brittle as displayed by glasses and non-metallic minerals.
This mineral can be formed as well-formed coarse-sized euhedral or granular crystals. The mineral has transparent appearance, vitreous luster and white streak. The relative hardness of halite is 2.5, and density is 2.17 g/cm3.
Global Distribution
Halite is distributed in the following places:
- Hallstadt, Salzburg, and Hall, near Innsbruck, Tirol
- Bex, Vaud, Switzerland
- Stassfurt-Leopoldshall, 34 km south of Magdeburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany
- Wieliczka (Galicia) and Bochnia, Poland
- Girgenti and Racalmuto, Sicily, Italy
- Salt Range, Punjab, India
- Michigan Basin, underlying Ohio, Michigan, and New York, USA
- Permian Basin of Texas and New Mexico
- Potash Corporation of America mine, Carlsbad potash district, Eddy Co., New Mexico.
Occurrence of Halite and Useful Mineral Association
Halite occurs in sedimentary rocks of evaporite association, cave deposits and as volcanic sublimates. The mineral is also common in multi-phase fluid inclusions. Dolomite, anhydrite, gypsum, carnallite, kieserite, polyhalite and sylvite are the minerals that are closely associated with halite.
References