Is Apatite Mined in Nevada?

The molecular structure of apatite produces a hexagonal crystal.

Apatite is rich in phosphorus and found in igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary rocks. The most common form is fluorapatite. Other forms include chlorapatite, hydroxylapatite, carbonate-rich apatite and francolite.

Uses

Sedimentary forms of apatite are mined for making phosphate fertilizers. Apatite is sometimes used as a gemstone. It has a variety of industrial and commercial uses as well. Some uses are as a protective metal coating, to fluoridate water, to sequester harmful environmental pollutants such as strontium 90, and in dental and bone surgeries.

U.S. Commercial Apatite Mines

In the United States, apatite is mined for phosphates in North Carolina, Florida and Idaho. Phosphate deposits also occur in the western United States in Mississippian and Permian strata, which underlie an area from central Utah to Nevada, Idaho, Wyoming and Montana.

Apatite in Nevada

Apatite is not commercially mined for fertilizers in Nevada, but is listed as being present in numerous mines, districts and prospects by Mindat.org. Carbonate-rich hydroxylapatite is present in the Candelaria District of Esmeralda County, the Buffalo Mountain District of Humboldt County and the Manhattan and Tonopah districts of Nye County.

References

• Geology.com: Apatite - Mineral Properties and Uses
• State of Washington Department of Ecology: Apatite
• "Orthopaedic Pathology"; Vincent Vigorita et al.; 2007
• "Industrial Minerals & Rocks"; Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration; 2006
• Minerals Zone: Industrial Minerals
• Mindat.org: Search for Minerals in a Region

Resources

• Mindat.org: Hydroxylapatite
• Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology: The Nevada Mineral Industry