Halite Mineral Data

General Halite Information

Chemical Formula:

NaCl

Composition:

Molecular Weight = 58.44 gm

Sodium 39.34 % Na 53.03 % Na₂O

Chlorine 60.66 % Cl 60.66 % Cl

- % Cl -13.69 % -O=Cl₂

______ ______

100.00 % 100.00 % = TOTAL OXIDE

Empirical Formula:

NaCl

Environment:

Marine or continental evaporite deposits.

IMA Status:

Valid Species (Pre-IMA) Prehistoric

Locality:

World wide in sedimentary basins. Link to MinDat.org Location Data.

Name Origin:

From the Greek halos, meaning "salt" and lithos meaning "rock."

Name Pronunciation:

Halite

Synonym:

ICSD 18189

Murate of Sota

PDF 5-628

Rock Salt

Sodium Chloride

Halite Image

Images:

Halite

Comments: Hoppered pink halite crystals from the evaporation ponds. The pink color is due to the organism Halo bacterium that lives in the concentrated brine.
Location: Searles Lake, Trona, San Bernadino County, California, USA. Scale: Crystal size 2 cm.
© John Veevaert

Halite Crystallography

Cell Dimensions:

a = 5.6402, Z = 4; V = 179.43 Den(Calc)= 2.16

Crystal System:

Isometric - HexoctahedralH-M Symbol (4/m 3 2/m) Space Group: F m3m

$Help on X Ray Diffraction:$ X Ray Diffraction:

By Intensity(I/I_o): 2.821(1), 1.994(0.55), 1.628(0.15),

Forms:

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Forms: ( 1 0 0)

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Crystal Structure:

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Finger L W , King H E , American Mineralogist , 63 (1978) p.337-342, A revised method of operation of the single-crystal diamond cell and refinement, of the structure of NaCl at 32 kbar
View Additional jPOWD Structure files for Halite
[1] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] [19] [2] [20] [21] [22] [23] [24] [25] [26] [27] [28] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9]

Physical Properties of Halite

Cleavage:

{100} Perfect, {010} Perfect, {001} Perfect

Color:

White, Clear, Light blue, Dark blue, Pink.

Density:

2.17

Diaphaneity:

Transparent

Fracture:

Brittle - Generally displayed by glasses and most non-metallic minerals.

Habit:

Crystalline - Coarse - Occurs as well-formed coarse sized crystals.

Habit:

Euhedral Crystals - Occurs as well-formed crystals showing good external form.

Habit:

Granular - Generally occurs as anhedral to subhedral crystals in matrix.

Hardness:

2.5 - Finger Nail

Luminescence:

Fluorescent, Short UV=red, green (organic inclusions) orange, Long UV=red, green orange.

Luster:

Vitreous (Glassy)

Magnetism:

Nonmagnetic

Streak:

white

Optical Properties of Halite

Optical Data:

Isotropic, n=1.544.

Calculated Properties of Halite

Electron Density:

Bulk Density (Electron Density)=2.07 gm/cc
note: Specific Gravity of Halite =2.16 gm/cc.

Fermion Index:

Fermion Index = 0
Boson Index = 1

Photoelectric:

PE_Halite= 4.63 barns/electron
U=PE_Halite x rElectron Density= 9.59 barns/cc.

Radioactivity:

GRapi = 0 (Gamma Ray American Petroleum Institute Units)
Halite is Not Radioactive

Halite Classification

Dana Class:

09.01.01.01 (09)Anhydrous and Hydrated Halides

(09.01)where A X

(09.01.01)Halite Group

09.01.01.01 Halite NaCl F m3m 4/m 3 2/m

09.01.01.02 Sylvite KCl F m3m 4/m 3 2/m

09.01.01.03 Villiaumite NaF F m3m 4/m 3 2/m

09.01.01.04 Carobbiite KF F m3m 4/m 3 2/m

09.01.01.05 Griceite LiF F m3m 4/m 3 2/m

Strunz Class:

03.AA.20 03 - HALIDES

03.A - Simple Halides, Without H2O

03.AA -M:X = 1:1, 2:3, 3:5, etc.

03.AA.20 Carobbiite KF F m3m 4/m 3 2/m

03.AA.20 Griceite LiF F m3m 4/m 3 2/m

03.AA.20 Halite NaCl F m3m 4/m 3 2/m

03.AA.20 Sylvite KCl F m3m 4/m 3 2/m

03.AA.20 Villiaumite NaF F m3m 4/m 3 2/m

Other Halite Information

References:

NAME( Duda&Rejl90) PHYS. PROP.(Enc. of Minerals,2nd ed.,1990) OPTIC PROP.(Enc. of Minerals,2nd ed.,1990)

See Also:

Links to other databases for Halite :
1 - Alkali-Nuts(English)
2 - Alkali-Nuts(Francais)
3 - Am. Min. Crystal Structure Database
4 - Amethyst Galleries' Mineral Gallery
5 - Athena
6 - CalTech Mineral Spectroscopy
7 - EUROmin Project
8 - Ecole des Mines de Paris
9 - GeoScienceWorld
10 - Glendale Community College
11 - Google Images
12 -