Halite
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The mineral Halite is common rock salt.
| Halite | |
|---|---|
| Chemical name | Sodium Chloride |
| Chemical formula | NaCl |
| Identification | |
| Colors | Colorless, or tints of gray, yellow, red, blue |
| Crystal habit | Usually the simple cube, rarely octahedral; faces are commonly cavernous and develop into "hopper" crystals, |
| Crystal system | Isometric |
| Cleavage | Perfect, three directions at 90° |
| Fracture | Conchoidal, Brittle |
| Hardness | 2-2 1/2 |
| Luster | Vitreous |
| Name origin | From the Greek hals, meaning salt |
| Specific gravity | 2.16 |
| Streak | White |
Sources
- Chesterman, Charles W. The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Rocks and Minerals, Alfred A. Knopf: New York (1987)