mineral

Blue Apatite

Ca5(PO4)3(F,Cl,OH)

Hardness: 5 on the Mohs scale. Color: Neon blue, greenish-blue, teal. Luster: Vitreous to sub-resinous. Crystal System: Hexagonal. Cleavage: Poor on {0001}. Specific Gravity: 3.1 - 3.2.

Hardness: 5 on the Mohs scale
Color: Neon blue, greenish-blue, teal
Luster: Vitreous to sub-resinous

Identified July 29, 2026More mineral →

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Physical properties

Hardness: 5 on the Mohs scale. Color: Neon blue, greenish-blue, teal. Luster: Vitreous to sub-resinous. Crystal System: Hexagonal. Cleavage: Poor on {0001}. Specific Gravity: 3.1 - 3.2.

Formation & geological history

Forms in igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary environments. Often found in pegmatites, hydrothermal veins, and marble deposits.

Uses & applications

Used primarily as a mineral specimen for collectors, in jewelry when cut as a gemstone (though soft and brittle), and as a source of phosphorus for fertilizer.

Geological facts

Apatite is the defining mineral for a hardness of 5 on the Mohs hardness scale. Teeth and bones in vertebrates are composed of a hydroxylapatite material.

Field identification & locations

Identified by its distinctive vibrant blue-green color, hexagonal crystal form when well-developed, and a Mohs hardness of 5 making it easily scratched by a knife. Commonly found in Madagascar, Brazil, and Mexico.