Frankdicksonite
Natural barium fluoride — cubic crystals up to 4 mm of hydrothermal origin in Nevada's Carlin gold deposit.
Intro adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).
Frankdicksonite is an IMA-recognized mineral species in the halide class, with the chemical formula BaF₂.
It crystallizes in the cubic crystal system (space group Fm3m). It is a member of the Fluorite structural group.
Key properties: Mohs hardness 2.5; specific gravity 4.89; Vitreous luster; refractive index 1.475; optically isotropic.
IMA symbol Fds, IMA status: approved, named in 1974.
Of hydrothermal origin, encased in quartz veinlets cutting a gold deposit in silicified carbonaceous arsenic-rich limestone.
It is found associated with Quartz.
The mineral was named to honor Dr. Frank Wilson Dickson (1922–), Professor of Geochemistry, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California, USA, for his work on low-temperature ore deposits.